LUBBOCK, Texas (September 11, 2025) – The MCM Elegante Chap Classic opens Thursday at the Rip Griffin Center, with Lubbock Christian University volleyball making its home debut at 7:30 p.m. against Colorado State Pueblo. The Lady Chaps and ThunderWolves will square off twice during the tournament, which features LCU playing five matches to cap a grueling stretch of 10 contests in nine days. The three-day, 10-match event also brings Eastern New Mexico, Fort Lewis, and Southwestern Oklahoma State to Lubbock, as the Hub City hosts a full weekend of regional action.
 

MCM ELEGANTE CHAP CLASSIC
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
CSU Pueblo	Rip Griffin Center	Thur, Sept. 11	7:20 p.m.	Video	Stats

TOURNAMENT SITE

LADY CHAP NOTES
» Lubbock Christian University improved to 3–2 on the season with a straight-set road victory at Wayland Baptist on Sept. 9, their first road win of the year. The Lady Chaps posted a .306 hitting percentage in the sweep, their second match this season hitting above .300.
 
» LCU enters the week ranked among the Lone Star Conference and national leaders in several categories. The Lady Chaps lead the LSC and rank 13th nationally in total digs (318) and total attacks (677). They stand 4th in the conference and 39th nationally in assists per set (12.59), and 7th in the LSC in kills per set (13.12). Defensively, LCU is 3rd in the LSC and 18th nationally in digs per set (18.71).
 
» The Lady Chaps have held opponents to just .146 hitting on the year, 6th-best in the LSC and 85th nationally.
 
» Freshman outside hitter Emilee Sikora has recorded double-digit kills in three straight matches and leads the team with 42 total kills. She posted 11 kills on .458 hitting at Wayland Baptist, her most efficient match of the season. Sikora ranks 17th in the LSC in kills per set (2.82) and 11th in attacks per set (8.41).
 
» Senior Lily Bickley has been steady at the net, ranking 13th in the LSC in points per set (3.44) and 7th in total attacks (134). She had eight kills and two blocks at Wayland. Bickley also ranks 7th in the LSC with 15 total blocks.
 
» Senior Jade Workman earned Gorilla Classic All-Tournament honors and continues to provide veteran balance, totaling 36 kills and 23 digs on the season. She tallied 12 kills against Missouri Western and is coming off a career-high 17 assists Tuesday at Wayland Baptist.
 
» Freshman setter Camdyn Sears is off to a strong start, ranking 3rd in the LSC and 64th nationally in assists per set (8.59). She has 146 total assists, the second-most in the conference, including 15 in the win at Wayland. She is the reigning LSC Freshman of the Week, becoming the second Lady Chaps ever to claim the honor.
 
» Senior libero Abby Dominguez continues to anchor the defense, ranking 4th in the LSC and 48th nationally with 4.82 digs per set. She leads the LSC in total digs (82), including a career-best 38 against Missouri Western.
 
» Senior libero Olivia Elofsson provided a spark at Wayland, collecting a team-high 14 digs along with a season-best three aces. It was her most aces in a match since 2023.
 
» Senior Bryleigh Schweer owns 26 kills on .273 hitting through five matches and notched her 11th career double-digit kill outing in the five-set loss to Missouri Western.
 
» The Lady Chaps have spread the offense with six players reaching at least 25 kills this season (Sikora, Bickley, Workman, Payton Murray, Schweer, Madyson Eberly).
 
LOOKING AT CSUP
 - CSU Pueblo and Lubbock Christian have met five previous times and the ThunderWolves hold a slight 3-2 edge in the series. The first four meetings were neutral site contests (series split 2-2), but the trend was bucked last season, as LCU participated in the Steel City Showcase (hosted by CSU Pueblo). LCU dropped the contest 3-1. The series first opened in 1989 (Sept. 1, 1989) in Phoenix, Ariz., where LCU fell 2-0. LCU won in Las Vegas, N.M. 3-1 (Sept. 17, 1993) and in Canyon, Texas (Sept. 5, 2015), but fell 3-0 in the previous neutral site meeting (Sept. 3, 2016 in Denton, Texas).
 
- CSU Pueblo has a new coach this season, in Jordan Bruere, who is the program's 14th head volleyball coach. A four-year letterwinner for the ThunderWolves from 2012–15, Bruere previously guided Western Colorado for two seasons, leading the Mountaineers to a 12-win campaign and RMAC Tournament berth in 2024. She also turned around Dodge City CC with a 22-win season in 2022.
 
- The ThunderWolves opened the Jordan Bruere era at the BritKare Lady Buff Classic in Canyon, Texas, going 1–3 against a challenging slate that included a pair of matches with nationally ranked West Texas A&M. The ThunderWolves showed early competitiveness in their opener against Oklahoma Baptist before falling in three, then dropped consecutive sweeps to the No. 8 Lady Buffs. The Pack closed strong, however, securing Bruere's first career victory with a four-set win over Texas A&M International. Senior outside hitter Caelyn Gunn paced the weekend with three double-figure kill performances, highlighted by a 20-kill, 20-dig double-double in the finale.
 
- Caelyn Gunn has emerged as one of the RMAC's most prolific hitters, ranking 2nd in the league and 13th nationally with 4.46 kills per set. She also ranks 2nd in the RMAC in total kills (58) and points per set (4.62).
 
- Defensively, the Pack rank 4th in the RMAC and 52nd nationally in digs per set (16.46), led by Megan Mattingly at 4.08 digs per set (6th in RMAC).