LUBBOCK, Texas (September 11, 2025) – Lubbock Christian University opened its home slate with a hard-fought battle, but visiting Colorado State Pueblo used timely runs in each frame to sweep the Lady Chaparrals 25–20, 27–25, 25–20 Thursday night inside Rip Griffin Center in the MCM Elegante Chap Classic.
 
The Lady Chaps slipped to 3–3 on the season (0–0 LSC) despite a balanced offensive attack that featured three players with double-figure kills. Senior Lily Bickley paced the squad with 12 kills and two blocks, while Camryn Blair and Payton Murray chipped in 11 apiece. Setter Camdyn Sears directed the offense with 38 assists, and senior libero Abby Dominguez anchored the back row with 17 digs.
 
CSU Pueblo improved to 2–3 (0–0 RMAC) with the sweep, led by standout outside hitter Caelyn Gunn, who notched a match-high 16 kills and 15 digs for a double-double. Taylor Cary added 10 kills, while setter Elena Stankovic distributed 35 assists to guide the ThunderWolves' .252 team hitting percentage.
 
Game Notes
» LCU produced 45 kills in a three-set loss, for their highest kill total in a three-set loss since producing 48 against St. Mary's in a loss on Sept. 12, 2013.
 
» LCU had three players reach double figures in kills, led by Lily Bickley's 12 for her second match in double-figures in kills this season and 42^nd in her LCU career.

» Camryn Blair (11 kills, .206) and Payton Murray (11 kills) joined Bickley in double figures. Blair's performance marked her second career double-digit effort kills. As for Murray, she matched a career-high with 43 kill attempts in the match. Murray's pair of 43 kill attempts is the highest total by a Lady Chaps member in a three-set match since Aaliyah Gray had 48 attempts at UT Permian Basin on Oct. 8, 2022

» Freshman setter Camdyn Sears dished out 38 assists, her fourth match of the season with 30+ assists.

» Senior libero Abby Dominguez posted a match-high 17 digs, her fifth double-digit effort of the year. She was also flawless on 17 serve receptions.

» The Lady Chaps matched CSU Pueblo in kills (45–45) and digs (62–62) but were undone by service and blocking disparities.
 
» Lubbock Christian dropped a home opener for the first time since 2017, ending a sequence of seven consecutive home wins. They drop to 13-4 in home openers since 2008.

» LCU and CSU Pueblo were meeting for the sixth time all-time and for the first time ever in Lubbock. The ThunderWolves have won three consecutive meetings over the Lady Chaps and have a 4-2 lead in the all-time series.
 
How It Happened
SET 1 | CSU Pueblo stormed out to a commanding lead in the opening set, using a 10–1 surge midway through to build a 17–7 cushion behind the front-line duo of Taylor Cary and Golden Finch. Cary piled up five early kills, while Finch added a solo block and two block assists during the run. Lubbock Christian clawed back late with five straight points, sparked by Lily Bickley and Camryn Blair (each had four kills in the set), trimming the deficit to 24–20. The ThunderWolves, however, held on as a Lady Chap service error sealed the frame, 25–20, in favor of CSU Pueblo.
 
SET 2 | The second set featured wild swings of momentum, as CSU Pueblo raced ahead 13–7 behind a balanced attack from Caelyn Gunn and Golden Finch, only for Lubbock Christian to battle back. The Lady Chaps trimmed the deficit with a pair of 5–1 surges, with the second highlighted by a pair of kills from Lily Bickley to trail 23-22. LCU fought off a trio of CSUP match-point-serves with kills from Bryleigh Schweer, but LCU countered with serving errors. Ultimately, the ThunderWolves prevailed 27–25 after a Lady Chap misfire Murray led LCU with six kills in the set and was joined by Blair (five), as the two produced 11 of LCU's 18 kills in the set.
 
SET 3 | The third set featured a tightly contested battle with multiple momentum swings before CSU Pueblo claimed a 25-20 victory. CSU Pueblo jumped to an early 5-2 lead behind consecutive kills from Gunn, but Lubbock Christian responded with strategic substitutions, bringing in Cavalier and Murray, with Murray mixing in a kill with a pair from Schweer to tie the set 8-8. The middle portion remained deadlocked with neither team gaining more than a two-point advantage as both squads traded kills effectively. The decisive moment came when CSU Pueblo pulled away from 18-16 to 22-17, forcing two Lubbock Christian timeouts. Despite late efforts from Lubbock Christian's Lily Bickley and Jade Workman, CSU Pueblo's balanced attack and the potent Stankovic-Gunn connection proved too much to overcome. Gunn had eight kills in the final set. Bickley led LCU with five kills in the frame.
 
What's Next
The MCM Elegante Chap Classic continues Friday with five matches inside Rip Griffin Center. LCU plays in two of the contests, hosting Southwestern Oklahoma State at 11:30 a.m. and Fort Lewis College at 4:30 p.m. inside Rip Griffin Center.