LUBBOCK, Texas – SWOSU Volleyball came up short in both matches on Friday at the MCM Elegante Chap Classic, falling to host Lubbock Christian in a five-set battle before dropping the nightcap against Colorado State-Pueblo.
 
The Bulldogs (2-5) will look to close the weekend on a high note Saturday morning when they face Fort Lewis College at 11:30 a.m. to wrap up the tournament.
 
Lubbock Christian 3, SWOSU 2
(25-17, 19-25, 25-16, 22-25, 12-15)
 
SWOSU jumped out with the opening set and again led 2-1 in the match, but could not finish off Lubbock Christian in a five-set heartbreaker. The Bulldogs tallied a program-record 21 team blocks, paced by Sydnee Winfrey's 13 (12 assists, 1 solo), which tied the individual single-match record. The 21 team blocks also rank second all-time in Great American Conference history, just one shy of Oklahoma Baptist's record of 22 set in 2021.
 
The Dawgs were in position to clinch the win late in the fourth set, leading 21-18, before the Chaps stormed back with seven of the final eight points to force a decisive fifth. SWOSU again had the upper hand in the final frame, up 9-6 and 10-8, but LCU answered with four straight points to flip the momentum and never gave it back.
 
SWOSU served tough with 10 aces and out-blocked LCU 21-13 but struggled offensively down the stretch. In the fifth set, the Bulldogs managed just two kills with five errors and finished with a negative hitting percentage. Overall, SWOSU hit .146 as a team, while LCU hit .129 with five more attack errors (32-27).
 
Three Bulldogs reached double-digit kills: Hailey Smith (14, .200), Kaylyn Christy (11, .026), and Paris Patterson (10, .176). Winfrey added eight kills and five errors alongside her 13 blocks, while Jada Permenter anchored the defense with 15 digs.
 
Colorado State-Pueblo 3, SWOSU 1
(23-25, 21-25, 25-19, 19-25)
 
Despite outhitting CSU-Pueblo .273 to .214, SWOSU could not sustain momentum and fell 3-1 in the nightcap. The Bulldogs extended the match with a third-set victory but dropped the fourth as the Thunderwolves closed out the win.
 
The first two sets were tight throughout, but CSU-Pueblo found late answers in both to seize control and build a two-set advantage. SWOSU responded in the third by hitting .378 with just one error, but CSU-P rebounded in the fourth to finish the match in four.
 
Paris Patterson (.333) delivered a season-high 16 kills without committing an error, while Hailey Smith (.222) added 13 kills, nearly matching her season-best performance from earlier in the day. On the back line, Jada Permenter averaged 6.5 digs per set, totaling 26 in the match.