LUBBOCK, Texas (November 18, 2024) – After navigating the drama of a four-team tiebreaker, the Lubbock Christian University Lady Chaparrals have secured their spot in the 2024 Lone Star Conference Volleyball Championships. They will travel to Canyon, Texas, as the No.8-seed to face the top-seeded and host team, No. 6 West Texas A&M, on Thursday at 5 p.m. inside WTAMU Fieldhouse, known as "The Box."
 
Wrapping up the regular season this past weekend, LCU hosted eventual No.3-seed UT Tyler and No.5-seed Dallas Baptist, aiming to secure the No.6-seed. However, LCU fell short in both matches, each decided in five sets—a rare occurrence, as the Lady Chaps last dropped back-to-back five-set matches in 2005. Saturday's loss brought LCU's record to 13-13 overall and 9-7 in Lone Star Conference play. Meanwhile, Oklahoma Christian, St. Mary's, and UT Permian Basin all earned victories Saturday, creating a four-way tie at 9-7 for the final three spots in the LSC Championships.
 
Through the LSC's tie-breaking formula, St. Mary's claimed the No. 6 seed by winning the most head-to-head sets among the tied teams. Oklahoma Christian secured the No. 7 seed, having won the most head-to-head sets between themselves, LCU, and UTPB. This left LCU and UTPB vying for the final spot, with LCU's 3-0 victory over UTPB in their conference meeting propelling them to the No. 8 seed.
 
For the third consecutive season, LCU's postseason fate was determined by a tiebreaker scenario. This season, however, marked the first time the tiebreaker worked in their favor. Last year, LCU also finished 9-7 in LSC play but became the first program in conference history to miss the tournament despite a winning conference record. With this year's tiebreaker results, UTPB now becomes the second program to endure that fate—a situation that, prior to last season, had never occurred in LSC history but has now happened in back-to-back years.
 
The Lady Chaps are in the quarterfinals of the LSC Championships for the second time and are making their third LSC Championships appearance (sixth season in the LSC) and are 1-2 all-time in the championships. Their last LSC Championship appearance was in 2021 as the No.3-seed. That season, they defeated No.6-seed Dallas Baptist, but fell to No.10-seed St. Edward's. The 2021 tournament was the final 12-team event (it has been an eight-team event since). None of the current members of the Lady Chaps participated in the 2021 event.
 
LCU is set to face a scorching-hot West Texas A&M squad in Canyon. The defending tournament champions, the Lady Buffs, completed an undefeated Lone Star Conference season (16-0) to claim the top seed and the right to host the tournament. West Texas A&M (23-3 overall) is making its 30th LSC tournament appearance, boasting a league-best 18 tournament titles, including the last three (2021-23), along with 22 shared or outright regular-season championships. Ranked No. 1 in the Division II South Central Region and No. 6 in the AVCA Coaches Poll, the Lady Buffs carry an all-time LSC tournament record of 56-11 (.836).
 
The "Rivalry on the Range" volleyball series will feature its 53rd meeting between LCU and West Texas A&M Thursday, but it will mark their first-ever postseason meeting. The Lady Buffs lead the series with a 37-14-1 record, having won the past four meetings and seven of the last eight. LCU seeks to break a seven-match losing streak in Canyon, where they hold a 5-21 record and last won on Sept. 5, 2015.
 
LCU fell in a hard-fought three-set match to No.9 West Texas A&M in the "Rivalry on the Range" on Oct. 5. Despite missing top scorer Kiana Fallaha, LCU pushed WTAMU in two narrow sets (17-25, 23-25, 24-26). Payton Murray led LCU with 14 kills, while Jade Workman added a career-high 12 kills. Kayton Genenbacher contributed 34 digs. WTAMU capitalized on a strong attack from Currie Marusak and Taytum Stow, each hitting over .500.
 
All matches in the LSC Volleyball Tournament will be streamed live on FloCollege. Subscriptions are available at $19.99 per month or $107.88 annually. Individuals with an .edu email address from an LSC member institution qualify for a discounted rate of $9.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
 
The tournament champion will earn the Lone Star Conference's automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division II Championship. The NCAA selection show is scheduled for Nov. 25 at 6:30 p.m. CT on NCAA.com. Regional rounds will take place Dec. 5-8 at campus sites, with the eight regional champions advancing to the national finals, held Dec. 12-14 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
 
2024 Lone Star Conference Volleyball Tournament
November 21-22-23, 2024 | Host: West Texas A&M University (Canyon, Texas)
 
Quarterfinals: Thursday, November 21
Match 1: [3] UT Tyler vs. [6] St. Mary's, 12 p.m. CT
Match 2: [2] Angelo State vs. [7] Oklahoma Christian, 2:30 p.m. CT
Match 3: [1] West Texas A&M vs. [8] Lubbock Christian, 5 p.m. CT
Match 4: [4] Texas Woman's vs. [5] DBU, 7:30 p.m. CT
 
Semifinals: Friday, November 22
Match 5: Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2, 5 p.m. CT
Match 6: Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 7:30 p.m. CT
 
Championship: Saturday, November 23
Final: Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 6 p.m. CT