LUBBOCK, Texas (August 28, 2026) – Lubbock Christian University volleyball opened the 2026 season and the Virginia Harris/Jeanie Miller Invitational with a straight-set victory Friday morning, sweeping New Mexico Highlands 25-20, 25-15, 25-17 at Paul Wright Gym.
Playing for the first time inside the more than 7,700-foot-elevation venue, the Lady Chaparrals gave first-year head coach Tyler Neal a victory in his LCU coaching debut. LCU improved to 31-17 all-time in season openers.
The Lady Chaps (1-0) hit .253 with 39 kills while holding New Mexico Highlands (0-1) to 29 kills and a .093 attack percentage. LCU also delivered 11 service aces, its highest total in a match since Oct. 22, 2022, against Cameron.
Camryn Blair led LCU with 13 kills and a .345 hitting percentage. After opening the match with two kills and three errors over her first five attacks, Blair closed with 11 kills without an attack error. She added three blocks.
Leigh Jespersen added nine kills in her LCU debut, while
Aubree Lundberg and newcomer
Kayson Reeves each finished with six.
Camdyn Sears directed the offense with 27 assists and two aces.
Ramsey Clark led the defensive effort with 15 digs and matched a career high with three service aces.
Kyla Farnan also served three aces as LCU finished with eight total blocks and 44 digs.
Game Notes
» The game marked LCU's first game inside Paul Wright Gym, which is North America's highest elevated arena in college athletics at over 7,700 feet
» LCU improved to 31-17 all-time in season openers. Tyler Neal becomes the first LCU head coach to win their coaching debut since Jennifer Lawrence opened her LCU coaching career with a 3-0 win over Faulkner in 2004.
» LCU produced 11 serving aces, which is their highest total in a match since Oct. 22, 2022 against Cameron. The total was tied for the 7th-most total since 2008 and tied for the fifth most in the span for a three-set match.
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Camryn Blair had 13 kills for her seventh career double-figure performance in kills. She had 2 kills and 3 attack errors through her first five swings, but then closed the match with 11 kills without an attack error to finish with a .345 attack percentage.
» Of LCU's 11 aces,
Kyla Farnan and
Ramsey Clark each had three, with Clark's total matching a career-high mark.
»
Leigh Jespersen (9 kills, 5 digs),
Kayson Reeves (6 kills),
Haley Wheeler and
Chloe Crider each made their LCU debut.
» LCU opens 1-0 in neutral site matches (LCU was 5-2 last season in neutral site matches).
» Meeting for a 20
th time all-time, and first time since 2012, LCU improved to 15-5 all-time against NMHU (4-3 in neutral site play), claiming their third consecutive win in the all-time series.
How It Happened
SET 1 | LCU 25, NMHU 20
- NMHU took an early advantage with a 7-3 run, highlighted by kills from Duda Carvalho and Elise Fourt.
- The Lady Chaps responded with a service ace from
Kyla Farnan, tying the score at 8-8.
- The teams traded points before the Lady Chaps gained momentum, sparked by
Camryn Blair's kill to take a 16-15 lead.
- LCU closed the set with a decisive 5-1 run, including a service ace from
Ramsey Clark, securing the set 25-20.
- Jespersen and Blair each had four kills in the opening set.
SET 2 | LCU 25, NMHU 15
- The Lady Chaps opened with a quick 2-0 lead, highlighted by a kill from Blair assisted by
Aubree Lundberg.
- NMHU responded with a 4-0 run, including a service ace by Becca Wiersema, to move ahead 4-2.
- LCU answered with a service ace by
Leigh Jespersen, regaining the lead at 10-9.
- Clark's serving helped the Lady Chaps extend their advantage with her second ace of the set, pushing the score to 21-13.
- LCU sealed the set at 25-15 with a kill by Lundberg from
Camdyn Sears.
- Blair led LCU with four kills in the frame.
SET 3 | LCU 25, NMHU 17
- The Cowgirls built an early 7-2 lead with a series of kills from Carvalho, Naya Dornic, and Lea Süsoy.
- The Lady Chaps responded with a 6-1 run, featuring kills from Reeves, Jespersen and a pair by Blair, and a service ace by Farnan, leveling the score at 8-8.
- A decisive 8-0 stretch by LCU (behind the serving of Sears), highlighted by two kills from Jespersen and service aces from Sears, extended the lead to 18-10.
- Blair secured LCU's final two points with a kill, closing the set 25-17 in favor of the Lady Chaps., as she led LCU with five kills in the frame.
