GUNNISON, Colo. (August 29, 2026) – Lubbock Christian University aims to close out their stay at the Virginia Harris/Jeanie Miller Invitational in the same fashion they started it, as Saturday, the Lady Chaparrals face Southwestern Oklahoma State (3 p.m. CT) and tournament host Western Colorado (8 p.m. CT) inside Paul Wright Gym to complete their opening week of play.
   

VIRGINIA HARRIS/JEANIE MILLER INVITATIONAL
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
SWOSU	Gunnison, Colo.	Sat., Aug. 29	3:00 p.m.	Video	Stats
Western Colo.	Gunnison, Colo.	Sat., Aug. 29	8:00 p.m.	Video	Stats

       
LCU enters Saturday's play with a 2-0 record after a pair of 3-0 wins Friday, as they opened their 48^th campaign in program history and their first under newly appointed head coach Tyler Neal with a win over New Mexico Highlands before taking down LSC foe Sul Ross State in a non-conference meeting in Gunnison. Camryn Blair paced the LCU attack with 24 kills (4.0 per set) on a .340 hitting mark. Leigh Jespersen also provided an average of 10.5 kills per match (21 on the season) and led LCU with five aces. LCU had 16 aces on the afternoon.
 
LOOKING AT SWOSU
- LCU and SWOSU are meeting for the ninth time all time and the seventh time since 2016. The Lady Chaps have a 6-2 all-time series lead after ending a two-match losing skid with three straight wins, including a 3-2 win on Sept. 12, 2025 (last season). Five of the last six meetings have been in Lubbock. LCU is 2-0 against SWOSU in neutral site meetings, with each in Canyon, Texas (2005 and 2009, which were the first two meetings between the two programs).
 
- Southwestern Oklahoma State enters 2026 coming off a strong finish to last season, when the Bulldogs went 16-15 overall and 12-4 in Great American Conference play. SWOSU won nine of its final 11 matches and advanced to the GAC Tournament championship match as the No. 3 seed before falling to Oklahoma Baptist. That late-season surge helped set expectations for 2026, with the Bulldogs picked fourth in the GAC Preseason Coaches Poll with 94 points, just two behind defending regular-season champion Ouachita Baptist.
 
- Seven players return for SWOSU, including three All-GAC selections. Senior libero Jada Permenter earned honorable mention honors after leading the Bulldogs with 594 digs and 5.26 digs per set, while sophomore middle blocker Katja Blanchat earned second-team recognition after totaling 142 blocks and hitting .259. Setter Mackenzie Sims also earned honorable mention All-GAC honors after finishing with a team-high 611 assists. Sophomore Sydnee Winfrey (her sister Brylee won two NCAA DII national basketball championships at LCU) adds another proven presence at the net after recording 240 kills and 125 blocks as a freshman.
 
- SWOSU's strength last season came at the net, where the Bulldogs totaled 305.5 blocks and averaged 2.70 per set, the second-highest rate in NCAA Division II. Blanchat and Winfrey combined for 267 total blocks and return to anchor that front-row presence, while Permenter provides an experienced back-row leader. The Bulldogs held opponents to a .155 hitting percentage in 2025. SWOSU will, however, need to replace its top two attackers from last season, Hailey Smith and Paris Patterson, who combined for 649 kills. Smith has since joined the Bulldog coaching staff as an assistant.
 
- Head coach Josh Collins begins his 15th season leading SWOSU after guiding the program to four 20-win seasons, the 2015 GAC Tournament title and its first GAC regular-season championship in 2024. The Bulldogs open 2026 with 11 consecutive matches away from Weatherford, beginning with four matches in Gunnison. SWOSU faces host Western Colorado on Thursday, Sul Ross State on Friday and New Mexico Highlands before meeting Lubbock Christian on Saturday. The Bulldogs will not play their home opener until Sept. 15, when they host Oklahoma Baptist in a rematch of last season's GAC Tournament championship.
 
LOOKING AT WESTERN
- LCU and WCU have only met one prior time, which was a Sept. 7, 2013 meeting in Canyon, Texas, which resulted in a 3-0 LCU win.
 
- Western Colorado opens the season at home for the first time since 1999, hosting the Virginia Harris/Jeanie Miller Invitational at Paul Wright Gym. The Mountaineers began their season Thursday with a 3-2 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State before defeating New Mexico Highlands Friday. They face Sul Ross State and Lubbock Christian on Saturday.
 
- Head coach Sonia Morales-Jones enters her second season leading Western after being hired April 1, 2025. She previously spent nine seasons at Benedictine Mesa, where she went 166-88, led the program to three NAIA national tournament appearances and produced seven winning seasons. Western is looking to take a step forward after finishing 1-25 overall and 0-14 in RMAC play last season. The Mountaineers were picked 13th in the 2026 RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll with 44 points, ahead of Black Hills State and Chadron State.
 
- Western brings back several key contributors from last season, including Kyra Kidd, Anuhea Ka'alele, Breanna Nohava, Emily Robins, Lauren Jacobson and Emily McMillan. Kidd is the top returning attacker after posting 142 kills while hitting .191 and leading the team with 66 total blocks. Nohava added 89 kills and 62 blocks, while Ka'alele contributed 97 kills and 343 assists. The Mountaineers will have to replace leading attacker Olive Rolseth, who paced the team with 228 kills last season, along with Liv Marshall, who finished with 188 kills.
 
- Western's roster features a mix of transfers and freshmen, including junior libero/defensive specialist Makaelah Paulino from UT Martin, junior outside hitter Andrea Torres from Grossmont College, senior outside hitter Sierra Long from Texas A&M International and junior setter Olivia Moore from Glendale Community College. The freshman class includes Kailee Padilla, Page Oothoudt, Maggie Legg, Mary Hamann and 6-foot-3 Karease Broeker, giving Western additional size at the net. The Mountaineers will look to improve on a 2025 offense that averaged 9.90 kills per set and hit .112 while opponents hit .250.
 
HOW TO WATCH
All matches in Gunnison can be viewed on the RMAC Network, which is a subscription service (not part of FloCollege and is not included in your FloCollege subscription) at www.RMACnetwork.com.