SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (September 14, 2024) – Lubbock Christian University made their debut Friday at the Route 92 Classic with a full day of intense competition. The Lady Chaps narrowly lost a five-set thriller (3-2) to Concordia Irvine, but bounced back later in the day with a hard-fought five-set victory (3-2) over Hawai'i Hilo, all taking place at Don Nasser Family Plaza Main Gym.
GAME 1 – CUI 3, LCU 2
The Lubbock Christian volleyball team lost in five sets (25-16, 25-27, 18-25, 25-18, 6-15) to the Concordia Irvine Golden Eagles Friday's opener. The non-conference loss ended LCU's two-game win streak.
The Lady Chaps were led by a double-double from Kiana Fallaha, who matched a career-high with 25 kills and completed the task with 15 digs. Lily Bickley also added 13 kills to help the attack. On the defensive end, Leddy Rae Guinn chipped in with 21 digs to go with four blocks from Bryleigh Schweer.
Game Notes
» Lubbock Christian had three players in double figures in kills, as Bickley (13) and Payton Murray (10) joined Fallaha in double figures. Murray has had at least 10 kills in four consecutive matches and Bickley has completed the task in two consecutive matches.
» Kiana Fallaha had a match-high 25 kills for Lubbock Christian, which matched her personal mark of 25 at Montana State Billings last season (Sept. 2, 2023). She is the first Lady Chap in their NCAA-era (2015 season) to have multiple performances of at least 25 kills (of game-by-game files electronically on file dating back to 2008, no Lady Chap has completed the task until Fallaha's feat Friday). She finished with 25.5 points Friday, which is behind her career high of 29 from the contest in Billings.
» Lubbock Christian had three players in double figures in digs. Guinn recorded her second career match of at least 20 digs, and the freshman's 21 was a career high Friday.
» Ramsey Clark had a team-high two aces in the loss. The mark matched a career high for the sophomore, who has now recorded four two-ace matches in her career.
» Kiana Fallaha registered a double-double with 25 kills and 15 digs and the double-double was her first of the season and 13th of her LCU career (the prior 12 were all last season).
» LCU produced a season-best 68 kills, which is their highest mark since 72 at Montana State Billings last season (Sept. 2, 2023).
» Lubbock Christian attackers were helped by a match-high 54 assists from Kayton Genenbacher. Her highest mark this season and since posting 54 on Oct. 4, 2023 against Midwestern State. She had three games of at least 50 assists last season.
» CUI improved to 4-1 overall and they received a double-double from Jadyn Orava (11d,10k). Macy Scheer served five of CUI's 12 aces, which was the highest total by an LCU opponent since MSU Billings had 13 against them on Sept. 2, 2023.
» LCU head coach Keith Giboney is in his 20th season and it was his first game to coach on California soil in his coaching career. Giboney is native Californian.
» Lubbock Christian is 1-0 this season in five-set matches. They went 4-1 last season in five-set matches.
» LCU, playing their first game in California since opening the 2006 season in Fresno, Calif., dropped to 0-2 all-time against Concordia Irvine. The prior meeting was August 25, 2006 in Fresno (Concordia won 3-0), as the two teams were members of the NAIA.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Lady Chaps took control of the set-one lead at 3-2 and never looked back to win 25-16. Lubbock Christian opened up its biggest lead, nine points, to finish off the set, collecting 16 kills in the process. Fallaha (5) and Murray (4) combined for nine kills in the set.
SET 2 | Lubbock Christian then dropped the second set 27-25, evening the match at a set apiece. The Lady Chaps couldn't hang on in a back-and-forth set, losing in a stanza that featured 11 lead changes and was tied 18 times. Neither team led by more than three points along the way. Bickley posted five kills on six attempts in the set to lead LCU.
SET 3 | A third-set loss put Lubbock Christian behind 2-1. The Lady Chaps lost the set 25-18 despite a strong performance on the attacking end. Lubbock Christian put together a .308 attack percentage with 14 kills in the set loss. Fallaha and Bickley each had four kills, but CUI took advantage of four aces and five blocks.
SET 4 | Lubbock Christian broke their two-set losing streak and forced a fifth set with a 25-18 victory in set number four. The Lady Chaps grabbed control of the set at 4-3 and never looked back. Lubbock Christian led by eight points at 18-10 before closing out the stanza, collecting 17 kills in the set. Ten (10) of the kills in the stanza were by Fallaha.
SET 5 | The final set turned out to be uneventful, as the Golden Eagles closed out the match on an 11-1 run to seal the win. Fallaha had three of LCU's five kills in the set to finish with 25 in the match.
GAME 2 – LCU 3, UHH 2
The Lubbock Christian volleyball team displayed remarkable determination in a 3-2 victory against the Hawaii Hilo Vulcans. The out-of-conference win improved Lubbock Christian's overall record to 4-2 on the season. The Lady Chaps were led by a double-double from Kiana Fallaha, who registered 23 kills and 16 digs. Lily Bickley also added 19 kills to help the attack, which was charged by a 59-assist performance from Kayton Genenbacher. On the defensive end, Leddy Rae Guinn chipped in with 23 digs, as LCU had 103 digs.
Game Notes
» Lubbock Christian had three players in double figures in kills, led by Kiana Fallaha, who recorded a 20-plus kill performance (23 kills) for a second consecutive game. Lily Bickley (19 kills) and Bryleigh Schweer (11 kills) each posted double-digit kill performances and each were career highs.
» Fallaha added 16 digs for her second double-double of the season and 14th of her career. LCU's database of electronic statistics (game-by-game) goes back to 2008, and since then, Fallaha is the only Lady Chap with over 70 attacks… and she has done it twice. Friday she posted 71 attacks, which is one off her career high of 72 from Sept. 2, 2023 at Montana State Billings. As a team, LCU had 211 attacks, which is the most since 214 at MSU Billings in 2023.
» LCU won despite some lopsided statistics. The Lady Chaps had 11 serving errors and they had 10 serve reception errors. UHH also posted 14.0 blocks compared to LCU's 1.0. The 13-block disadvantage is the biggest separation for LCU since UT Permian Basin had 13 more than LCU on Sept. 8, 2019. The last time it happened in a win was Sept. 22, 2016 at Arkansas Fort Smith.
» The Lady Chaps produced 69 team assists, which is their highest team total 72 on Oct. 16, 2014 (against Newman). Genenbacher, whose team record is 63, finished with 59.
» Genenbacher had 13 digs to go along with her 59 assists to notch third double-double of the season and 27th of her LCU career.
» Lubbock Christian is 2-1 this season in five-set matches. They went 4-1 last season in five-set matches. LCU has now had three consecutive games result in five-set decisions, which was last done in 2019 with a stretch of wins against Texas Woman's, Midwestern State and St. Mary's
» UHH (5-3) received double-doubles from Taylor Tullo (18d, 15k) and Maya Imoto-Eakin (27a, 10d).
» The meeting marked LCU's first-ever meeting against Hawai'I Hilo in program history.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Lady Chaps rallied from an eight-point 23-15 hole, but Hawaii-Hilo held on to win the first set 25-22. UHH won the set despite LCU having a 13-5 advantage in kills in the set.
SET 2 | Lubbock Christian fought back from a first-set loss to take the second set 25-21, evening the match at one set apiece. The Lady Chaps took the set with the help of a solid showing on the attacking end. Lubbock Christian registered a .304 attack percentage with 16 kills in the set win. The Lady Chaps opened up a 22-16 lead in the stanza and coasted to victory from there. Fallaha paced LCU with six kills in the set.
SET 3 | Lubbock Christian lost set three, putting the Lady Chaps in a 2-1 hole. The Lady Chaps lost set three 25-23. Fallaha led LCU with five kills in the frame.
SET 4 | Lubbock Christian then responded to secure set four 27-25 to force a fifth set. The Lady Chaps seized the set win in spite of trailing by as many as seven points at 13-6 before fighting back to claim victory. Lubbock Christian jumped in front at 26-25 and held on the rest of the way., totaling 18 kills along the way. LCU also trailed 24-21 in the set before sneaking out with the win. Fallaha (6) and Bickley (5) combined for 11 kills in the set.
SET 5 | Down two sets to one, Lubbock Christian powered back to win sets four and five, culminating in a 15-11 fifth-set victory, to take the match 3-2. The Lady Chaps took the lead for good at 6-5 in a set that had just one lead change before the Lady Chaps took over the lead. The Lady Chaps victory came in a set where 12 of their 15 points came via the kill. Bickley led all Chaps in the final set with five kills.
WHAT'S NEXT
LCU closes out the Route 92 Classic Saturday, beginning with a 12 p.m. (Central) match against Fresno Pacific. They will also play San Francisco State, the host, Saturday. All matches can be viewed on FloSports.
