The #18 Lubbock Christian Lady Chaps defeated the Pioneers in a thrilling three-set match on Tuesday evening before 463 fans at Hutcherson Center. Every point was well-earned by both teams in the 25-23, 25-20, 29-27 LCU victory.

The Wayland women conclude the regular season with an overall record of 20-8 and are 8-6 in Sooner Athletic Conference play. They will play at 11:30 a.m. on Friday against 4th-seeded Southern Nazarene University in the opening match of the SAC Tournament which is being hosted by conference regular season champion Lubbock Christian.

The Lady Chaps had the early advantage in the first set, but the Pioneers fought back to score seven of the next nine points, punctuated by a Haley Hill block. A little later, Analicia Estrada made it 13-8 with a kill off an assist by Anika Voigt. WBU kept the advantage until Voigt put down a kill to make it 22-19, resulting in an LCU timeout. The Lady Chaps came out of the break to score four straight and six of the last seven points to take the set.

Although LCU led throughout the second set, the Pioneers stayed within striking distance. After LCU had pulled out to an 18-14 advantage, Wayland tied it up on two Lady Chap errors sandwiched between two Estrada kills, but three straight points put the visitors back in control.

In the match's final set, Lubbock Christian again came out strong, but the WBU women rallied back with a 4-0 run, highlighted by another Estrada kill, to grab a 9-7 lead. The Lady Chaps were leading 19-16 when the Pioneers make their last big push, scoring five straight to pull in front 21-19.

The lead see-sawed between the two teams after that with Wayland serving for set point three different times. LCU couldn't be put away, however, and the match finally ended on a decisive Lady Chap kill.

Pioneer coach Jim Giacomazzi was pleased with the way his team performed against the team from down south. "I thought we played real well, considering the conditions. There were just a few small things here and there that cost us."

The Pioneers were more shorthanded than usual during the match. Junior hitter Desiree Luevano has been battling the flu and played sparingly, as did junior Haley Hill who is suffering from broncitis.

Jennifer Wyatt led the WBU netters with ten kills. Sabrina Davis, Audrey Hemminger and Estrada added seven each, and Voigt handed out 34 assists. Junior libero Staci Wilt led the Wayland defense with 22 digs, and Hemminger recorded two solo blocks and helped out on three others.

If the Pioneers defeat SNU Friday morning, they will face LCU at 4:30 that afternoon. The match between second-seeded Oklahoma City and third-seeded Oklahoma Baptist is scheduled for 2 p.m.