MIAMI SHORES, Fla. (September 3, 2026) – It is uncharted beaches for Lubbock Christian University this weekend, as the Lady Chaps make their first-ever trip to Florida for four matches in the Barry Invitational inside the Health & Sports Center. After competing at 7,700 feet in Gunnison, Colo., last weekend, LCU drops to just 7 feet above sea level in Miami Shores. The Lady Chaps open their Florida stay at 5 p.m. (CT) Thursday against No. 1 St. Cloud State.
   

BARRY INVITATIONAL
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
No.1 SCSU	Miami Shores, Fla.	Thur., Sept. 3	5:00 p.m.	Video	Stats

   
LADY CHAP NOTES
- LCU heads to Miami Shores, Fla., with a 3-1 record after opening the Tyler Neal era at the Virginia Harris/Jeanie Miller Invitational in Gunnison, Colo. The Lady Chaps swept New Mexico Highlands, Sul Ross State and Southwestern Oklahoma State before falling in three sets to tournament host Western Colorado (WCU went 4-0 in the event). The three consecutive sweeps marked LCU's first 3-0 start consisting entirely of straight-set victories since 2011. Neal also became the first LCU head coach to win his coaching debut since Jennifer Lawrence opened her tenure with a sweep of Faulkner in 2004.
 
-  LCU's front line made an immediate impact during the opening weekend, producing 34.0 total blocks through 12 sets for an average of 2.83 blocks per set. That figure leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks fourth nationally in NCAA Division II. The Lady Chaps recorded at least eight blocks in all four matches, including a season-high 10 against Western Colorado. It marks the first time during the rally-scoring era, which dates to 2008, that LCU has recorded at least eight blocks in four consecutive three-set matches.
 
- Freshman middle blocker Kayson Reeves wasted little time making an impact, earning Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Week honors following her collegiate debut. Reeves totaled 29 kills, hit .317 and recorded a team-high 15 blocks while averaging 2.42 kills and 1.25 blocks per set. She produced eight kills without an error on 11 swings against Sul Ross State for a .727 hitting percentage and followed with six block assists in consecutive matches against Southwestern Oklahoma State and Western Colorado. Reeves ranks fourth in the LSC and 38th nationally in blocks per set.
 
- Reeves became LCU's first recipient of an LSC weekly honor this season. The Lady Chaps collected 11 conference weekly awards during the 2025 campaign, including four Freshman of the Week honors, all earned by Camdyn Sears. Reeves followed a similar path to Sears by receiving the freshman award following the opening week of her collegiate career. Reeves enters the Barry Invitational with 36.5 points through 12 sets and leads LCU in both total blocks and blocks per set.
 
- Camryn Blair emerged as LCU's leading attacker during opening weekend, totaling 43 kills and averaging 3.58 per set. She reached double figures in each of LCU's first three matches, opening with 13 kills against New Mexico Highlands before adding 11 against Sul Ross State and 12 against Southwestern Oklahoma State. Blair enters the weekend ranked eighth in the LSC in kills per set and seventh in points per set at 4.04. Her 3.58 kills-per-set average ranks 83rd nationally.
 
- Camdyn Sears continues to impact virtually every phase of the match. The reigning LSC Setter and Freshman of the Year has 100 assists, 36 digs, 15 kills, eight blocks and three service aces through four matches. Sears recorded her first double-double of the season and 24th of her career with 28 assists and 15 digs against Southwestern Oklahoma State while also establishing a career high with four blocks. She averages 8.33 assists per set, which ranks sixth in the LSC, and is second on the team with 3.00 digs per set.
 
-  LCU's newcomers accounted for immediate production in Gunnison. Hardin-Simmons transfer Leigh Jespersen finished the weekend with 34 kills, seven service aces, 19 digs and five blocks, while Reeves supplied 29 kills and 15 blocks. Jespersen recorded her first double-figure kill performance as a Lady Chap with 12 kills while hitting .524 against Sul Ross State. She and Kyla Farnan share the team lead with seven service aces.
 
- The Lady Chaps recorded 23 service aces over the opening four matches while surrendering only 10. LCU averages 1.92 aces per set, ranking seventh in the LSC. The season began with 11 aces against New Mexico Highlands, LCU's most in a match since recording 11 against Cameron on Oct. 22, 2022. Farnan and Ramsey Clark each served three aces in the opener, with Clark matching a career high. Farnan later produced three consecutive aces during the third set against Western Colorado.
 
- Defensively, LCU limited its four opening-week opponents to a combined .140 hitting percentage while allowing 11.08 kills per set. The .140 opponent attack percentage ranks fifth in the Lone Star Conference and 57th nationally. Ramsey Clark anchors the back row with 48 digs and an average of 4.00 per set, which ranks eighth in the LSC. Sears follows with 36 digs, while Sienna Cavalier has 22 and Farnan and Jespersen each have 19.
 
- LCU showed offensive balance throughout its three victories. The Lady Chaps hit .253 against New Mexico Highlands before producing a season-best .376 attack percentage against Sul Ross State, including clips of .556 in the opening set and .467 in the second. LCU then defeated Southwestern Oklahoma State despite hitting .138 before offensive errors proved costly against Western Colorado. The Lady Chaps committed 27 attack errors and hit .009 in the loss, their lowest attack percentage since March 2, 2021, at Angelo State.
 
- After competing at more than 7,700 feet of elevation in Gunnison, LCU heads to Miami Shores, Fla., for the Barry Invitational, where they will be playing at seven-feet (elevation to sea level). The Lady Chaps are scheduled for four matches, including three against nationally ranked opponents. The trip begins Thursday at 5 p.m. Central against No. 1 St. Cloud State, providing LCU with its first match against an AVCA nationally ranked No. 1 program since becoming an NCAA Division II member.
 
- Thursday's meeting with No. 1 St. Cloud State will also mark LCU's first contest against a nationally ranked No. 1 opponent in nearly 14 years. The Lady Chaps last faced a No. 1-ranked program on Sept. 22, 2012, when they fell 3-1 to UT Brownsville/Texas Southmost College. LCU has never faced an AVCA Division II No. 1-ranked opponent since making the transition to NCAA Division II. LCU has not defeated a team nationally ranked (any ranking) since Nov. 6, 2021 (No. 25 West Texas A&M at home). They last defeated a nationally ranked team on the road in 2015 (Sept. 5, 2015 vs. No.22 West Texas A&M) and last defeated a nationally ranked team at a neutral site event in 2012 (Sept. 1, 2012 vs. No.7 Rocky Mountain College in Las Vegas, N.M.)
 
- LCU enters the second weekend ranked among NCAA Division II's top teams at the net. In addition to ranking fourth nationally in blocks per set, the Lady Chaps are 33rd nationally with 34.0 total blocks. Reeves leads the individual effort with 15 blocks, Aubree Lundberg has 14 and Tatum Fleitman has 11. Lundberg averages 1.17 blocks per set, ranking sixth in the LSC, while Fleitman averages 0.92.
 
LOOKING AT SCSU
- LCU and St. Cloud state have never faced each other. LCU last played a Minnesota based program in 2024, as they edged Minnesota Crookston 3-2 in Pueblo, Colo.
 
- St. Cloud State enters the Barry Invitational ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll for the first time in program history. The Huskies, now literally the "top dog," moved from No. 5 in the preseason poll to the top spot after opening 2026 with a 4-0 record at the UP North Tournament, receiving 21 of 47 first-place votes. SCSU swept Cal State East Bay, Northern Michigan and Tiffin while defeating Michigan Tech in five sets. The Huskies have now appeared in 83 consecutive AVCA polls dating to 2019, including 51 weeks inside the top 10. Their previous program-best ranking was No. 2, held for four consecutive weeks during the 2024 season.
 
-SCSU has been one of the nation's most productive offensive teams through opening weekend, averaging 15.21 kills and 14.57 assists per set while hitting .291. The Huskies rank fourth nationally in kills per set and second in assists per set, while their .291 attack percentage ranks 26th in NCAA Division II. Setter Braya LaPlant has directed the attack with 138 assists and an 11.50-per-set average, which ranks sixth nationally. SCSU has already produced 213 kills in 14 sets while holding opponents to 10.57 kills per set.
 
- Senior outside hitter Shelby Kimm headlines the SCSU offense after earning AVCA Second Team All-America honors in 2025. Kimm has opened this season with 40 kills, averaging 3.64 per set, while hitting .304 and adding 48 digs. She ranks second in the NSIC in kills per set and fifth with 4.36 digs per set. Carlie Willis has provided another dangerous option, producing 37 kills while hitting .500, the eighth-best hitting percentage nationally, while Hannah Bruskiewicz has 38 kills on a .406 clip. The trio has combined for 115 of SCSU's 213 kills through four matches.
 
- The Huskies return four starters from a 2025 team that finished 28-7, won its second consecutive NSIC Tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Central Region championship match. Kimm and LaPlant both earned AVCA Second Team All-America honors last season, while libero Laurin Hamann and outside hitter Abby Wachal also return as regular starters. Hamann recorded 589 digs last season and has picked up where she left off, leading SCSU with 70 digs and averaging 5.00 per set through four matches. The Huskies are averaging 17.57 digs per set, which ranks 23rd nationally.
 
- Head coach Chad Braegelmann enters his 12th season leading St. Cloud State and his 26th season as a collegiate head coach. He entered 2026 with a 492-273 career record and a 207-102 mark at SCSU. The Huskies have reached six consecutive NCAA tournaments and advanced to the Central Region championship match in each of the past two seasons. SCSU won 13 matches against nationally ranked opponents in 2025, including four victories over top-five teams, and captured its fourth NSIC Tournament championship in five seasons. Thursday's meeting with Lubbock Christian will be the first volleyball matchup between the two programs.