EDMOND, Okla. (September 19, 2025) – The final match before the start of Lone Star Conference action saw the UT Permian Basin volleyball team come up short against Lubbock Christian University, 3-1 (25-12, 22-25, 25-14, 25-13), during its final match of the Lone Star Conference Challenge.

LCU (7-4 overall) was dominant in its set wins, winning each by at least 11 points while holding UTPB (2-8 overall) to 0.00 percent hitting in each of the final two sets of the match. Last season, the Falcons swept the Lady Chaparrals 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-12) during the LSC Challenge in Laredo, Texas. During their matchup in the LSC Challenge a year ago, the Falcons set a program record with a .392 hitting percentage on 102 attempts, but their meeting this time around could not have been more different as the Falcons hit just .074 percent for the match with at least six attack errors in all four sets.

A 3-0 run for LCU featuring a UTPB service error, a kill by Lily Bickley and an assisted block by Jade Workman and Bickley made it a 13-9 Lady Chapparals' lead in the first set and forced a Falcons' timeout. LCU then kept its run going after the timeout with back-to-back kills by Workman and Bickley to make it five straight points, which later grew to a 7-1 run on back-to-back kills by Bickley and Emilee Sikora, forcing UTPB's second timeout of the opening set.

Sikora put down another kill after the second timeout, and then had another kill four points later to wrap up a 7-0 stretch that in all, concluded what was a 12-1 run for LCU to turn a one-point advantage (10-9) into a big 22-10 lead. Bickley finished with six kills in the opening set and was followed by Sikora with three as the Lady Chaps hit .609 percent (15 kills, 1 error).

UTPB faired much better in the second set, going ahead 10-5 after a 6-1 run and later scoring three straight points, bookended by LCU attack errors, to take a six-point lead (14-8) and make the Lady Chaps take a timeout. Up 18-14 after a kill by Makenna Grimes, LCU made its run with three straight points ending with back-to-back attack errors on UTPB, forcing the Falcons to call their first time out of the set. Out of the timeout and with just a one-point lead (18-17), Lauren Demuth put down a kill to give the Falcons some breathing room, and then she teamed up with Amyah Collins on an assisted block to make it 20-17.

LCU took its final timeout of set number two after a kill by Nickilah Whatley was followed by an attack error by the Lady Chaps, making in a 22-18 Falcons' advantage late in the set. Not to be fazed, Whatley came out of the timeout with another kill, and then Kierra Freeman followed with a service ace to get the Falcons to set point. After LCU fought back with four straight points starting with a service error on the Falcons, UTPB called its second timeout to settle things down, and Whatley and Freeman responded by teaming up on a kill to tie the match at one set apiece. Whatley had three kills in the final five points of the second-set win for UTPB.

In the third set, LCU led 11-4 following five straight points starting with a UTPB service error and ending with a service ace. After a UTPB timeout, a kill by Demuth and another assisted block by Collins and Demuth quelled the run for a minute before a 3-0 spurt for the Lady Chaps again starting thanks to a UTPB service error.

A challenge took a point for LCU that would have made it a 4-0 run and reversed it to a kill by Collins to make it a 14-7 deficit, but LCU won three of the next four points to make the Falcons call their second timeout of the set down 17-8.

LCU then took that momentum into the fourth set and took a 7-3 lead after back-to-back aces by Bryleigh Schweer to cap a 5-1 run. The run would grow to as big as 11-3 as LCU put away the match.

UTPB finished the match with 28 attack errors, six service errors, six reception errors and three blocking errors.

"Tonight, we fell back into our high-error ways," said Head Coach CJ Allard. "We gave Lubbock Christian 53 percent of the 70 points they won tonight. We'll either learn to limit those mistakes or I'll figure out how Jesus turned water into wine, because it would require that level of miracle to have any chance in a match when we're giving our opponents one of every two points they score."

Sydney Bradley led the Falcons with 10 kills while Whatley had nine, Demuth had eight and Grimes had five. Freeman totaled 21 assists and three service aces, and Collins chipped in with five blocks.

For LCU, Bickley led all players with 13 kills on .458 percent hitting and also added seven blocks. Sikora added 12 kills and Schweer had nine while freshman setter Camdyn Sears dished 45 assists. Bickley who ranks 35th among active Division II players in career kills, has reached double-digits in kills in six straight matches, and ranks in the top-five in the LSC for total blocks. Sears, who is the assists leader in the LSC with 344 assists so far this season, recorded the sixth double-double of her freshman campaign with 11 digs against the Falcons.

The Lady Chaps enter the new year coming off a 13-14 season, with a solid 9-7 record in Lone Star Conference play and a qualification for the LSC Championships. Coming into this year's LSC Challenge, LCU ranked No. 2 nationally and No. 1 in the LSC in total kills (495) and total digs (676), were No. 27 nationally and No. 3 in the LSC in assists per set (12.59), and ranked No. 12 nationally in total attacks (1,479). After its win against the Falcons on Friday, LCU is holding opponents to a .165 hitting percentage, ranking No. 7 in the LSC.

This season marks the fourth season in the LSC for the Lone Star Challenge. UTPB is now 5-5 all-time in the event. In 2022, the Falcons were 1-2 in Dallas, Texas; in 2023 UTPB was 2-1 in Lubbock, Texas; and in 2024 it was 2-0 in Laredo, Texas. UTPB is 2-1 all-time against LCU and 1-1 against OC at the LSC Challenge.

UTPB had defeated LCU during the LSC Challenge in each of the last two seasons before falling to the Lady Chaps during the regular season. This year's LSC Challenge saw the Falcons have to take on two of the five teams in the LSC with at least six wins entering the event. UTPB will serve as one of five LSC teams without a home match played this season following the LSC Challenge.

For the second year in a row, the Falcons will play at home in their Lone Star Conference opener. It will also be UTPB's home opener this season as the Falcons host the Hilltoppers of St. Edward's University on Friday, September 26, at 6 p.m. inside the Falcon Dome.