AUSTIN, Texas (November 2, 2024) – Lubbock Christian University closed out their regular season road slate in thrilling fashion, sealing a comeback win that marked a historic milestone. The Lady Chaparrals edged out St. Edward's in a five-set battle, clinching the victory on a match-point kill assisted by Kayton Genenbacher, marking her 3,000th career assist. Genenbacher's assist, following a successful video challenge that overturned a call in LCU's favor, made her the seventh Lady Chap to reach this career plateau. The Lady Chaps triumphed 15-9 in the fifth set, finalizing a 3-2 win (25-22, 14-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-9) at Recreation and Convocation Center.
Lily Bickley contributed a standout performance with 17 kills and a .556 attack percentage, while Kiana Fallaha led the offense with 18 kills—the last coming on the decisive, match-ending play. Genenbacher's assist on Fallaha's final kill not only secured the win but also marked her 3,000th career assist, adding a memorable milestone to Lubbock Christian's offensive effort.
The victory boosted the Lady Chaps' record to 12-10 overall and 8-4 in LSC play, as they ended a two-match losing skid. SEU dropped their ninth consecutive match and they move to 1-11 in the LSC and 9-14. LCU placed a damper on SEU's "Homecoming Weekend," which had the Hilltoppers playing much better than their record showed.
Defensively, LCU had three players reach double figures in digs, including Kayton Genenbacher's 13, which helped her complete a double-double on her milestone afternoon. The Lady Chaps also received 11 digs from Leddy Rae Guinn, and 10 more from Abby Benitez.
Game Notes
» SEU had a whopping 13 serving errors, which is the highest total by an LCU opponent since Black Hills State had 14 on Sept. 1, 2023.
» Lily Bickley was efficient in attacking situations in the match, accumulating 17 kills while hitting .556. The mark is her second-highest career mark (of at least 20 attempts) and the 13th best mark by a Lady Chap since the current rally scoring format began (2008).
» Lily Bickley also had a match-high four aces in the win, which is tied for the fifth-highest mark by a Lady Chap in a five-set match since 2008 and matched a season high (Leddy Rae Guinn had four against Texas A&M Int'l on Sept. 21).
» Kiana Fallaha had a team-high 18 kills for Lubbock Christian.Her seventh performance of at least 15 kills this season.
» Lubbock Christian got a team-high 13 digs from Kayton Genenbacher, which helped convert her 12th double-double of the season and 36th of her career. She had a match-high 43 assists and needed all to leave the contest with 3,000 in her career. The last Lady Chap to surpass 3,000 assists was Jordan Goings in 2011 (3,892 from 2008-2011). Her next milestone is 3,304, which would place her in sixth all-time in program history and past Debbie Hendricks (3,303 assists from 1985-88).
» LCU won the match despite losing the second set, as they are now 2-8 when dropping the second set.
» The Lady Chaps improved to 4-2 in matches decided in five sets. LCU improved to 5-2 all-time in five-set decisions against SEU.
» LCU improved to 18-10 all-time against SEU (third consecutive win) and 8-6 all-time against the Hilltoppers in Austin. LCU has won three consecutive five-set results against SEU, as the last three meetings (and five of the last seven) have gone the distance.
» The Lady Chaps, who play their final four regular season matches at home, close their regular season road record at 4-7.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Lady Chaps opened up an early 1-0 match lead winning the first set 25-22. Lubbock Christian and the 'Toppers played to four lead changes and 15 ties in the set, with the set tied as late as 17-17 before LCU used aces from Bickley and Olivia Elofsson to go on a 6-1 run. Fallaha, Bickley and Payton Murray each had four kills in the set.
SET 2 | Lubbock Christian then lost the second set 25-14, evening things at a set each. The Lady Chaps struggled with a .091 attack percentage in the frame with nine kills. They trailed as much as 21-6 in the set before an 8-2 scoring advantage brought LCU to a more respectable score.
SET 3 | Lubbock Christian fell again in set three to make it a 2-1 deficit. The Lady Chaps lost the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way before falling in the set 25-23. SEU led 23-19 and had to hold off LCU, as a 4-1 run put LCU behind 24-23 before Mia Clay had the set-winning kill for SEU. Fallaha had six kills to lead LCU in the set.
SET 4 | Lubbock Christian broke their two-set losing streak and forced a fifth set with a 25-22 victory in set number four. The Lady Chaps took the lead for good at 8-7 in a set that showcased four lead changes before the Lady Chaps took over the final lead (in the set). LCU had to fight off a late surge by SEU, as they led 22-16 as SEU responded with a 6-2 run to cut LCU's lead to 24-22. Bickley produced her seventh kill of the set (on 10th attempt) to stamp the win and force a decisive fifth set.
SET 5 | Lubbock Christian battled back in the match by cruising to a 15-9 set win in the final set. The Lady Chaps grabbed control with a 7-3 lead to start the set. They closed the match of a 5-1 run, with the score originally at 14-10 before head coach Keith Giboney challenged a "touch" and won the replay challenge to change the score to 15-9 for the win. LCU hit .500 in the final set (8 kills on 14 attempts with one attack error), with Murray and Fallaha each producing three kills.
WHAT'S NEXT
LCU returns home and opens a four-match homestand Friday at 6 p.m. hosting Oklahoma Christian inside Rip Griffin Center. Slated to be a pivotal match, as LCU is in sixth place in the LSC standings (8-4) and OC is seventh (7-5).
