LUBBOCK, Texas (October 11, 2024) – After 14 consecutive road matches, the Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaparrals are finally returning home. The Lady Chaps will host Texas A&M-Kingsville in their Lone Star Conference home opener Friday at 6 p.m. inside Rip Griffin Center. The match begins a four-game homestand, continuing Saturday at 2 p.m. with the annual "Play for the Cure Pink Game" against Texas A&M International.
 

LSC VOLLEYBALL
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
Texas A&M-Kingsville	Rip Griffin Center	Fri., Oct. 11	6:00 p.m.	Video	Stats

  
LOOKING AT TAMUK
- The Lady Chaps and Javelinas first squared off in 1979 and have met 11 times all-time (TAMUK leads series 6-5). Of the 11 prior meetings, five have been neutral site contests. The last six meetings were on-campus meetings, with LCU falling at home TAMUK in their previous meeting (3-0) on Oct. 20, 2023. LCU is 3-1 all-time in Lubbock against TAMUK.

- Texas A&M-Kingsville holds a 10-5 overall record with a .667 win percentage and sits at 2-2 in Lone Star Conference play, placing them in a share of the eighth position in the standings. Riding a two-match winning streak, the Javelinas secured consecutive 3-0 victories over UT Permian Basin and Western New Mexico. They have been dominant at home with a 6-2 record, struggled on the road with a 1-3 mark, and are undefeated in neutral site matches at 3-0. The Javelinas come to Lubbock to face Lubbock Christian University, who shares a 2-2 conference record.

- Texas A&M-Kingsville concluded the 2023 volleyball season with a strong overall record of 21-11 (.656) and an 11-5 mark in Lone Star Conference play, placing them fifth in the final LSC standings (they were one of five programs in the conference to finish with double-digit conference victories). The Javelinas were dominant at home with a 13-2 record but more balanced on the road, going 5-5. They reached the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament, securing impressive wins over No. 4 seed UA Fort Smith (3-2) and No. 1 seed Dallas Baptist (3-1) before falling to No. 2 seed West Texas A&M (0-3). Their season concluded in the NCAA South Central Regional, where they lost to No. 3 seed MSU Denver (1-3). The success last season led them into this season No.4 in the LSC Preseason Poll and receiving one first-place vote.

- The Javelinas have demonstrated strong blocking success this season, ranking second in the Lone Star Conference and 36th nationally with 126 total blocks. The Javelinas average 2.21 blocks per set, positioning them third in the conference and 49th in the nation. Individually, Ayanna Jackson leads the way, ranking second in the LSC and 33rd nationally with 65 total blocks, while teammate Natalee Rush also contributes significantly, placing fifth in the conference with 49 blocks. Jackson's 1.14 blocks per set are second-best in the conference and rank 62nd nationally, showcasing her consistent defensive presence at the net.

- Rylan Pollard is one of eight players nationally to achieve a triple-double this season, as she had 20 assists, 10 kills and 10 digs on Sept. 21 against UT Tyler.

LADY CHAP NOTES
- Lubbock Christian enters Friday's match with a 6-8 overall record and a 2-2 mark in Lone Star Conference play, currently ranked tied for eighth among LSC teams. While the Lady Chaps have excelled on neutral courts with a 4-3 record, they have faced challenges on the road, going 2-5. They come home after falling 3-0 Saturday at No.9 West Texas A&M.
 
-Friday marks LCU's home debut. The Lady Chaps, who closed out the home schedule last season with a 3-1 win over Eastern New Mexico, went 8-6 at home last season (24-11 at home under head coach Keith Giboney). The Lady Chaps are 12-3 in home openers since 2008. They have won six consecutive home openers.

- LCU stands out in the attacks per set category, entering Saturday averaging 38.2 attacks (per set), which ranks third in the Lone Star Conference and 29th nationally. Kiana Fallaha and Lily Bickley are at the forefront, contributing significantly to this statistic. Fallaha ranks second in the conference with 11.1 attacks per set (22nd nationally) and has 568 total attacks to rank 45^th nationally (second in the conference). Overall, LCU's total attacks amount to 2,062, which is fifth in the conference and 77th nationally.

- This season marks LCU's fourth season under coach Giboney. The Lady Chaps seventh head coach in program history has jumped into his 20th year of NCAA coaching. Giboney, who has four NCAA Tournament appearances and seven conference titles on his resume, surpassed 400 coaching victories in his first season with LCU and has a career coaching mark of 438-212. The Chaps head coach entered the season as the 29th best-active head coach in win percentage (.679) and as the 27th best-active head coach in victories (432). He has the third-highest win total of head coaches with less than 20 years of head coaching experience.

- Setter Kayton Genenbacher currently sits ninth all-time in LCU's career record books for assists with 2,651. Sept. 27 in Denton, Texas, she became the ninth Lady Chaps member in program history to reach 2,500 assists. Genenbacher ranks 23^rd nationally in assists per set with an average of 10.6, which places her third in the Lone Star Conference. She has amassed a total of 573 assists this season (fourth in LSC and 32^nd nationally).
 
-The Lady Chaps have shown potential in several key statistical categories within the Lone Star Conference and at the national level. Notably, the team's digs per set average of 16.2 ranks seventh in the conference and 78^th nationally, highlighting a solid defensive effort, led by Leddy Rae Guinn (13^th in LSC with 3.8 digs per set). On the offensive side, the team's kills per set average of 13.4 is respectable, placing sixth in the conference, with Kiana Fallaha (sixth in points per set and 96^th nationally, 3.87) and Lily Bickley (11th in LSC, 3.6) leading the way in scoring. Payton Murray has also been on display with double-figure kill efforts in four of the prior five matches and is averaging 3.37 kills per set over the four-game span.
 
- LCU has made notable strides in conference play. Kayton Genenbacher has been a standout, averaging 12.4 assists per set, contributing a total of 174 assists in four matches Payton Murray supports the offense with 52 kills, with Lily Bickley (46), Bryleigh Schweer (37) and Kiana Fallaha (32) providing a balance attack (14.3 kills per set for LCU with a .258 hitting mark). Schweer leads in hitting percentage at .338 and Bickley leads in points per set (4.07). Defensively, Leddy Rae Guinn shines with an average of 5.00 digs per set.

- All remaining regular season scheduled matches can be watched via live streaming on FloSports. FloSports has recently partnered with the Lone Star Conference to offer a subscription-based service that provides live video coverage. A subscription to FloSports gives you access to all content on their platform. For more details, visit www.lcuchaps.com/live.