LUBBOCK, Texas – Houston Christian women's golf wrapped up the opening day of the Red Raider Invitational in strong position, sitting tied for second at 7-over par (583) after 36 holes at The Rawls Course. The Huskies matched host Texas Tech and trail leader Abilene Christian by just two shots heading into Wednesday's final round.

Freshman Serena Churchill led the way with rounds of 72 and 71 to finish at 1-under par (143), holding third place on the individual leaderboard. Churchill opened with a steady 72 in Round 1, highlighted by birdies on the par-4 8th and par-4 13th. She came back in Round 2 with an even sharper card, playing the par-3s at 2-under and rolling in birdies at Nos. 3, 10, and 14.

Sophomore Natcha Makmanee sits inside the top 10 at 1-over (145) after rounds of 74 and 71. Her opening round was marked by solid play on the back nine, where she played four straight holes (Nos. 11–14) at 2-under before a double bogey at 17 slowed her finish. Makmanee responded with a clean second round, birdieing the par-3 2nd and par-5 9th to turn at 2-under and closing with nine straight pars to post 71.

Junior Alyssa Stewart climbed the leaderboard with a second-round 71 after starting the day with 75. Stewart's first 18 included three birdies but was offset by a tough stretch on the back nine. She rebounded in Round 2, playing her opening nine at even par before catching fire on the inward stretch with birdies at 10, 12, and 14. Her 1-under 71 moved her into 11th place at 2-over (146).

Sara Pihlajamaki posted rounds of 74 and 75 for a 5-over total (149), good for 20th. She played her first nine holes in Round 1 at even par and added birdies on Nos. 11 and 12. In Round 2, she birdied the par-4 1st and par-3 10th but ran into trouble on the front nine, carding a double bogey at the 9th.

Rounding out the lineup, Abigail Inocian recorded back-to-back rounds of 81 (162, +18). She found early birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 in Round 1 and added another at the par-3 11th in Round 2 but couldn't fully recover from high numbers on the par-5s.

The Huskies return to action Wednesday morning with final-round tee times beginning at 9:00 a.m., paired with Texas Tech, UTSA, and Abilene Christian.