The Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team will continue its postseason journey by hosting a four-team pod at the UniWyo Sports Complex on Thursday and Friday for the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), University of Wyoming Athletics reports.
This marks the Cowgirls’ second consecutive appearance in the postseason.
Wyoming (15-12) will take on Idaho State on Thursday at 7 p.m., following the 4 p.m. matchup between Utah Valley and Washington State. The winners of Thursday’s matches will face off on Friday at 6 p.m.
The Cowgirls have been off since their regular season finale on November 23, where they dominated Nevada, winning in straight sets. Wyoming held Nevada to just 29 points in the final three sets, and the Cowgirls’ offense was led by Paige Lauterwasser with 20 kills and a .375 hitting percentage. Defensively, Sarah Holcomb and Kayla Mazzocca were key at the net, combining for 22 blocks, with Holcomb setting a career-high 14 blocks.
Holcomb’s strong performance during the season earned her Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive year. Lauterwasser and Kasia Partyka were also named to the All-Mountain West Team, with Partyka earning the distinction for the second year in a row. Holcomb was named Honorable Mention All-Mountain West.
Lauterwasser finished the season ranked seventh in the league in kills per set (3.44) and points per set (3.76), while Holcomb led the Cowgirls with 1.41 blocks per set.
This marks the fifth time in program history that Wyoming will compete in the NIVC. The Cowgirls will face a strong challenge from Idaho State, which is led by All-Big Sky performers Aliyah Sopo’aga, Jamie Streit, and Jaydin Watts. Sopo’aga is averaging 9.73 assists per set, while Watts and Streit contribute significantly to the Bengals’ offense, with Watts recording 227 kills and Streit leading the team with 348 kills.
