LUBBOCK, Texas (October 16, 2024) – After sweeping the Lady Chaps earlier this season at the Lone Star Conference Crossover and setting a program record for team hitting percentage in the process, the UT Permian Basin volleyball team had no such success this time around and fell 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-19) in Lone Star Conference action at Lubbock Christian University.

Lubbock Christian (9-8 overall, 5-2 Lone Star Conference) earns its third win in a row to open its 2024 home slate and remains in the fifth place in the conference standings. UTPB continues to bounce back and forth between the win column and the loss column and falls to 10-6 and 3-4.

An LCU attack error and a service ace by Gloria Geurin gave UTPB a 20-18 lead in the first set, and then another LCU attack error made it 21-20 Falcons.

Then tied 22-22 after a kill by Kennedi Wright, a kill by the Lady Chaps' Payton Murray was followed by a UTPB attack error to give Lubbock Christian set point.

Two points later, another kill by Murray gave LCU the first-set victory.

It was 19-19 in the second set before back-to-back kills by LCU's Camryn Blair, and the Falcons stayed down a point the rest of the way until kills by Murray and Lily Bickley to end the set and make it a 2-0 lead.

It was 13-13 in the final set before a 6-0 LCU run.

Coming into the match, one of UTPB's strengths this season had been team defense as the Falcons were holding opponents to a .136 hitting percentage, the best in the Lone Star Conference. Lubbock Christian, however, had no problems with the UTPB defense and hit .438 in the second set, .361 in the third set, and .308 percent for the match.

Murray and Bryleigh Schweer both finished with 15 kills for the Lady Champs while Bickley and Blair both added eight. Bickley has been a standout during LCU's current three-match winning streak, leading the Lady Chaps with 38 kills across the three matches.

After recording her 1,000 career assist and a career-high four service aces last time out, Jenna Gray recorded 12 assists to go along with three service aces this time around.

Freshman Kierra Freeman matched her second-highest total of the season so far with nine assists.

Gabby Gregorski had 10 digs, Wright recorded nine kills for the third straight match, and Logan Terrazas had four blocks.

The Falcons are back home this Saturday, October 19, to take on Eastern New Mexico University at 2 p.m. inside the Falcon Dome.