SAN ANGELO, Texas (November 22, 2025) – In its first-ever appearance in the Lone Star Conference Championship final, No. 2-seed Lubbock Christian University fell 3–0 to top-seeded Angelo State on Saturday afternoon inside Junell Center/Stephens Arena, as the Belles repeated as tournament champions with set scores of 25–19, 25–20, 25–22. The loss denied LCU its first conference tournament title since winning the Sooner Athletic Conference championship in 2007, but the Lady Chaps—ranked No.7 in the South Central Region entering the week—remain strongly positioned to receive their first NCAA Division II postseason berth when selections are announced Monday evening. LCU has never reached an NCAA tournament and is seeking its first national postseason appearance since qualifying for the 2009 NAIA National Championship.
 
Angelo State (now a perfect 16–0 at home) controlled the match with a steady attack and a 10–6 advantage in total blocks, hitting .242 behind 16 kills from LSC Player of the Year Madi Parrish and 12 more from Julia Hopkins. LCU battled late in each frame but could not overcome ASU's efficiency, trailing in attack percentage in all three sets and finishing at .118 for the match.
 
Senior Payton Murray led LCU (25–7) with 12 kills—her fourth straight double-digit performance and 11th of the season—while freshman Emilee Sikora added 11 kills for her 22nd double-figure outing. Setter Camdyn Sears posted her 21st double-double of the year with 34 assists and 12 digs and finished the tournament with 131 assists across three matches (11.9 per set). Senior libero Abby Dominguez anchored the back row with 16 digs, pushing her season total to 617, which now ranks No.10 all-time in program history and fifth-best of LCU's rally-scoring era.
LCU dropped to 9–3 in true road matches and moved to 3–4 all-time in LSC Championship play. Sikora, Sears and Dominguez were each named to the LSC All-Tournament Team. The meeting marked the first postseason showdown between the programs, with ASU extending its series win streak to 10 straight and improving to 28–9 all-time against the Lady Chaps.
 
Game Notes
» With 16 digs, Abby Dominguez has 617 total digs on the season. The total passed Courtney Yonke's total of 615 digs during the 2009 season, and currently ranks as the 10^th best single-season total in LCU program history and the fifth-best single-season total under the current rally scoring era (started in 2008) in program history.
 
» A trio of Lady Chaps were recognized with All-Tournament Team honors, as Emily Sikora, Camdyn Sears and Abby Dominguez were recognized following the match.
 
» With Angelo State serving as the home team, the match registers as a true road match for LCU, who has their road record drop to 9-3 on the season.
 
» LCU, making their fourth all-time LSC Championship appearance, has their all-time record in the tournament move to 3-4.

» Senior Payton Murray had 12 kills to lead LCU. She hit double figures for a fourth consecutive match (season high… her career high is six) and for the 11th time this season and it marked her 38^th time of her career.
 
» Camdyn Sears recorded a double-double for a fourth consecutive match and for a 22^nd time this season, as she had 34 assists and 12 digs.
 
» Emily Sikora produced 11 kills for her 22nd performance this season with 10-or-more kills in a match.
 
» ASU defeated LCU for a 10^th consecutive match and moves to 28-9 all-time against the Lady Chaps. The Belles improve to 15-5 against LCU at home. The meeting was the first meeting between the two programs in postseason play.  
 
How It Happened
 
SET 1 | ASU 25, LCU 19
A pair of kills by San Angelo native Emilee Sikora sparked a 4-0 start for the Lady Chaps in the opening frame, but ASU would march back. Trailing 6-3, the Belles went on a 5-0 run. The lead changed hands several times before being knotted up at 16-16. An 8-2 run by the Belles set them up to take the opening set 25-19. Payton Murray led LCU with five kills and Sikora added four.
 
SET 2 | ASU 25, LCU 20
The start of the second set was all ASU. Six consecutive LCU errors early-on allowed the Belles to jump out to a 10-4 advantage. Trailing 14-7, Murray registered a kill to spark a 4-1 rally. She also had a pair of kills in a 5-1 run as LCU cut the deficit to 20-17. They unable to get any closer, as ASU won the set 25-20. Sikora had six digs and co-led LCU with three kills in the set.
 
SET 3 | ASU 25, LCU 22
Cate Boldrick registered a pair of kills for ASU to help the Belles jump out to a 6-2 lead in the third set. Lily Bickley helped LCU rally back, notching a pair of kills to tie the set at 8-8. Bickley and Murray teamed together for a block to put LCU up 15-14 in the frame, but the Belles responded with a 4-0 run, with three of the points stemming from LCU errors. Tatum Fleitman had a kill to tie the set at 21-21 before the teams traded off serving errors to knot the set at 22-22. ASU closed the set on a 3-0 run to seal the set 25-22 and the match at 3-0.
 
What's Next
LCU will now await an at-large invite as one of eight teams to qualify for the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Monday at 6:30 PM during the 2025 NCAA Div. II Volleyball Selection Show on http://NCAA.com (link to will be on the front page).