LAREDO, Texas (September 20, 2024) – UT Permian Basin volleyball flexed its muscle on Friday in its second and final match of the 2024 Lone Star Conference Crossover in Laredo. UTPB swept Lubbock Christian University 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-12), giving the Falcons their seventh win in a row, their third sweep in a row, and extending their set-winning streak to 10 straight sets.
On Thursday Head Coach
CJ Allard talked about late-set discipline being a key to victory against LSC opponents, and that certainly played out in the opening set on Friday.
The Falcons jumped out to a 20-12 advantage in the first set, but LCU climbed all the way back to within one at 23-22. A kill by
Lauren Demuth got UTPB to set point, and then after a kill by the Lady Chaparrals made it 24-23, a big block by Demuth helped the Falcons close out the 25-23 win.
UTPB then rolled to a 10-point win in the second set, followed by a 13-point win in the third.
The Falcons trailed 9-8 in the second set before an 8-1 run ending with back-to-back kills by
Kennedi Wright to take control. In all, Wright contributed six kills in what was a 17-6 run to close out the set.
UTPB hit .326 percent in the first set, .367 percent in the second and .538 percent in a dominating third set, all while holding LCU to .103 percent hitting for the match.
With a .392 hitting percentage for the match on 102 attempts, the Falcons set a new program record for hitting percentage in a single match. The previous record was .330 percent in a 3-0 home win against University of the Southwest on November 7, 2015.
In addition to its record-breaking performance on the offensive end, UT Permian Basin has also demonstrated impressive defensive prowess so far this season, holding opponents to a hitting percentage of just .108, the lowest among LSC teams. They forced Sul Ross and New Mexico Highlands into negative hitting percentages in their prior meetings, and the highest mark they have allowed is .194 (against Central Oklahoma).
In Friday's matchup against LCU, Wright paced the UTPB offense with 17 kills on a career-best .615 percent hitting percentage and added to the defensive effort with 12 digs. It was her fourth double-double of the season so far, tying her for the team-lead.
Chyra Thompson added 11 kills on .786 percent hitting. Thompson currently ranks second in hitting percentage among LSC leaders, with a hitting percentage of .400. Over the course of the season, she has accumulated 76 kills while appearing in 31 sets. Her performance includes 150 total attempts and just 16 errors. Thompson also ranks second in the LSC in blocks per set (1.13), achieving a total of 35 blocks (7 solo and 28 assisted). She has registered an average of 2.45 kills per set (29th in LSC), totaling 76 kills so far.
In addition,
Jenna Gray dished out 22 assists and
Gabby Gregorski had 14 digs. Gregorski averaged over four digs per set during the two matches at the LSC Crossover.
This season marks the third season in the LSC for the Lone Star Crossover. With its two wins this week, UTPB is now 5-3 all-time in crossover. In 2022, the Falcons were 1-2 in Dallas, Texas, and last season UTPB was 2-1 in Lubbock, Texas.
UTPB (7-2 overall) has now won seven of its last 11 meetings against Lubbock Christian (4-5). This was the first neutral-site meeting between the Falcons and the Lady Chaps since a 3-0 LCU win on September 9, 2016, in Stephenville, Texas.
The Falcons will host their Lone Star Conference opener on Thursday, September 26, against Eastern New Mexico University at 6 p.m.
