By james art SILVER CITY, NM (October 23, 2024) – Riding the momentum of a four-game home unbeaten streak, Lubbock Christian University heads into Wednesday’s 7:00 PM (Central) contest against Western New Mexico at Drag’s Court riding a four-game winning streak. LCU’s road trip continues Saturday with a 2 p.m. game against No.15 Angelo State in San Angelo, Texas.
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| OPPONENT | LOCATION | DAY | TIME (CT) | WATCH | STATISTICS |
| Western NM | Silver City, New Mexico | Wednesday, Oct. 23 | 7:00 p.m | video | statistics |
WATCHING WNMU
– LCU and Western New Mexico meet for the 16th time all-time, marking the sixth meeting as conference foes. LCU has won the previous seven meetings, dating back to 1996 (last five meetings dating back to 2009). LCU’s seven-game winning streak in the series has them leading the series 8-7 (the streak dates back to 1986). LCU is 3-1 all-time in Silver City, with Sept. 10, 1993 (2-0 WNMU) marking LCU’s only visit prior to the 2019 season. The Lady Chaps have won their previous three trips to Silver City, including a 3-0 victory in his previous visit (November 11, 2023).
– WNMU is coming off a 6-21 season in 2023. They finished tied for 15th in the Lone Star Conference (2-14) and closed out the season in their final five games. The setback saw them enter this season ranked No. 15 in the LSC preseason poll.
– The WNMU Mustangs have faced a tough 2024 season, currently holding a 6-14 overall record and a 2-6 mark in Lone Star Conference (LSC) play. The Mustangs have struggled on the road, where they are winless at 0-4 and currently riding a three-game losing streak. Their conference standings place them near the bottom of the LSC, tied for 12th with Sul Ross State. However, their performance at a neutral venue has been more competitive, with a 4-6 record in those games. Despite the challenges, the Mustangs showed resilience, including a 3-0 win over Eastern New Mexico and a tough five-set win against Midwestern State.
– Western New Mexico stands out in several key statistical categories despite challenges this season. They rank first in the Lone Star Conference and 91st nationally in service aces, averaging 1.66 aces per set with 123 total aces. Chase Kallevig has 25 aces (sixth in the LSC), ranking second in the LSC at 0.44 per set.
– Jazmyne Walker ranks third in the Lone Star Conference (LSC) in total attacks with 676 and is fourth in total kills with 240. She also ranks 11th in the LSC in kills per set (3.24 ) and 15th in points per set (3.53) .
LADY’S NOTES CHAP
– Lubbock Christian enters Wednesday’s game at 10-8 overall and 6-2 in Lone Star Conference play, currently tied for fourth among LSC teams (with Dallas Baptist and Texas Woman’s). Although the Lady Chaps have a winning record on neutral courts (4-3 record), they have faced challenges on the road, going 2-5. They played their first 14 games of the season away from home, but took advantage of the limited home play, posting a 4-0 record at home.
– The Lone Star Conference announced its weekly honors and those of Lubbock Christian University Caiton Genenbacher was named Setter of the Week for games played Oct. 14-20. Genenbacher was the engine behind LCU’s offense during the week, recording 39 assists and 14 digs against UT Permian Basin, recording her ninth double-double of the season and 33rd of her career. In that game, she surpassed 2,792 career assists, moving into seventh all-time in program history. The Lubbock senior followed up a 35-assist performance against Sul Ross State, facilitating a balanced attack that hit .323 for the game. Genenbacher’s 74 total assists in six sets gave her an average of 12.33 assists per set, which ranked her second in the Lone Star Conference for the week. In addition, LCU hit at least .300 in both games to mark the first time this season they hit .300 or better in back-to-back games.
The LSC honor marks the second week in a row that a Lady Chap has been recognized as Briley Schweer named Defensive Player of the Week last week. Genenbacher, who earned her first Setter of the Week honor this season and third of her career, is the third Lady Chaps to be recognized with weekly honors this season. Prior to Schweer’s efforts, Lady Rae Gwynn received freshman of the week recognition on Sept. 30.
– LCU excels in the attacks per set category, entering Wednesday with an average of 37.3 attacks (per set), which ranks seventh in the Lone Star Conference and 58th nationally. Kiana Falaha and Lily Bickley are at the forefront, contributing significantly to this statistic. Falaha ranks second in the conference with 11.1 attacks per set (22nd nationally) and has 568 total attacks (14th in the conference) despite missing the previous five games. Overall, LCU’s total attacks totaled 2,576, which was sixth in the conference and 77th nationally (was second in their last match).
– This season marks LCU’s fourth season under Coach Gibboni. The seventh Lady Chaps head coach in program history is entering his 20th year coaching in the NCAA. Gibboni, who has four NCAA tournament appearances and seven conference titles on his resume, surpassed 400 coaching wins in his first season with LCU and has a career coaching record of 442-212. The Chaps head coach entered the season as the 29th-most active head coach in hitting percentage (.679) and the 27th-most active head coach in wins (432). He has the third-most total of head coaches with less than 20 years of head coaching experience.
– Setter Caiton Genenbacher is currently seventh all-time in the LCU career record books for assists with 2,827 (25th active among the NCAA Division II auxiliary leaders). On Sept. 27 in Denton, Texas, she became the ninth member of the Lady Chaps in program history to reach 2,500 assists. She had 39 assists Wednesday, moving her behind Tiana Hergert (2,761, 1989-92) and Erin Fisher (2,767, 2011-14) for seventh all-time in program history. Genenbacher took 18th placeth nationally in assists per set with an average of 10.9, which ranks her second in the Lone Star Conference. She has totaled 749 assists this season (second in the LSC and 25thth national).
-The Lady Chaps showed potential in several key statistical categories within the Lone Star Conference and nationally. Notably, the team’s scoring average of 15.9 ranks eighth in the conference, highlighting a solid defensive effort led by Lady Rae Gwynn (13th in LSC with 3.7 digs per set). On the offensive side, the team’s kills per set average of 13.7 is respectable, placing it fifth in the conference, with Kiana Falaha (sixth in set points and 96th nationally, 3.87) and Lily Bickley (eighth in LSC, 3.8) scoring leader (points). Peyton Murray also posted double-digit kills in seven of the previous nine matches and averaged 3.45 kills per set over the nine-match span.
– LCU has made remarkable strides in conference play. Caiton Genenbacher averaged 12.1 assists per set (leads LSC), contributing 350 total assists in eight games. Peyton Murray supports offense with 102 kills (fifth in LSC), p Lily Bickley (93, seventh in LSC) and Briley Schweer (84, 13th in the LSC) providing a balanced attack (14.6 kills per set for LCU to rank fourth in the LSC and third in hitting with a .260 mark). Schweer leads in hitting (.343) and Bickley leads in points per set (4.29, sixth in LSC). defensive, Lady Rae Gwynn shines with an average of 4.11 digs per set (ninth in LSC).
– The Lubbock Christian University volleyball team has shown resilience on the road despite a challenging 2-5 record on the road (2-1 in its last three road games). Key contributors include Lily Bickleywho leads the team with 76 kills (2.92 per set) and a strong .306 hitting percentage, and Caiton Genenbacherwith 286 assists (11.0 assists per set), ranking as a critical playmaker. Peyton Murray and Kiana Falaha also excelled offensively, posting 75 kills and 71 kills respectively, both averaging about 3.0 kills per set. defensive, Lady Rae Gwynn anchored the backline with 103 digs (3.96 per set), contributing to a solid team average of 15.85 digs per set, slightly ahead of her opponents.
– Saturday’s game is LCU’s second of the season against a nationally ranked foe as they fell 3-0 on Oct. 5 at No.9 West Texas A&M. LCU went 0-1 against nationally ranked programs (in 2023), with No.5 WTAMU being their only game last season against a top 25 program. LCU’s last win over a nationally ranked program was over No.25 WTAMU (3 -2) on Nov. 6, 2021, and their last road win over a top-25 team was over No.22 West Texas A&M (3-2) on Sept. 5, 2015.
– All remaining scheduled regular season games can be viewed via live streaming on FloSports. FloSports recently partnered with the Lone Star Conference to offer a subscription-based service that provides live video coverage. A FloSports subscription gives you access to all content on their platform. For more details, visit www.lcuchaps.com/live.