LARAMIE, Wyo. (Oct. 10, 2017) – Wyoming volleyball returns to the friendly confines of the UniWyo Sports Complex this weekend as it hosts a pair of Mountain West foes in Nevada and San Jose State. On Thursday at 6:30 p.m. MT, the Cowgirls will face the Wolf Pack for Faculty and Staff Night, before a 1 p.m. contest with the Spartans on Saturday. Faculty or staff who present one of the attached flyer's for Thursday's match will receive $5 tickets.
 

Live Coverage
Both matches will be broadcast live on the MW Network. Links to live stats and live video for both matches can be found above. Fans are also encouraged to follow @wyo_volleyball on Twitter for updates throughout the weekend.
 
Last Time Out
UW (9-9, 4-2 MW) sweep Utah State last Thursday before defeating Boise State in five. The win against the Broncos was the first road win in Boise, Idaho, since 1994. Sophomore Tara Traphagan led the Brown and Gold against the Aggies with 14 kills. Junior Reed Copeland chipped in eight kills and seven blocks, while junior Emily Lewis also added eight kills. Against Boise State, freshman Marissa Harmon led both teams with a career-high 61 assists. Traphagan and Lewis were two of four Cowgirls in double-figure kills, and led with 17 each against the Broncos. Copeland and sophomore Halie McArdle each added 14 kills on Saturday. Harmon was named the MW Offensive Player of the Week, for what was the first weekly honor for her and also first for Wyoming this season. Furthermore, Harmon has been nominated for the D1 Volleyball HERO of the Week award, an award from HERO Sports that recognizes the best individual performances of the week. The award is determined by fan votes, and the poll can be found here or using the link above. Fan voting will close Friday at 12 p.m. MT. Votes may be cast once per hour until the deadline and the winners will be announced Friday afternoon.
 
Cowgirl Leaders
Wyoming defense continues to shine as the season progresses. UW is second in the conference in blocks (2.72 bps) and are third in opponent hitting percentage (.179, 855-436-2341). The Cowgirls jumped up to fourth in hitting percentage (.222, 844-343-2259), and also are sixth in kills (12.60 kps). Individually, Copeland is second in the MW and 45th nationally in blocks (1.31 bps), while she is fifth in hitting percentage (.336, 120-38-244). Redshirt freshman Jackie McBride is eighth in blocks (1.13 bps). Sophomore Madi Fields is holding strong as she's fifth in digs (4.03 dps), while Harmon is eighth in assists (8.64 aps).
 
Against Nevada and San Jose State
Wyoming has lost three of the last four against Nevada, including both matchups last season. Despite its recent struggles against UNR, the Cowgirls hold a 9-3 series advantage. Against San Jose State, UW leads the all-time series 7-4. Wyoming has won the last three contests against the Spartans, including both matches a season ago.
 
The Opponents
Nevada brings a 5-13 overall record into Thursday's contest and are 3-3 in MW play. The Wolf Pack fell against UNLV after defeating New Mexico in four. Nevada has lost two of its three conferences matches played on the road. Sophomore middle hitter Shayla Hoeft has a team-high 176 kills (3.38 kps), which is seventh in the MW. Sophomore setter Dalyn Burns is fifth in the conference with 9.09 assists per set, while sophomore libero Camille Davey is tenth in digs (3.64 dps). The Wolf Pack are one of two teams to have two players in the top-ten in services aces. Sophomore outside hitter Ayla Fresenious (0.32 saps) and senior outside hitter Madison Foley (0.28 saps) are sixth and ninth, respectively.
 
San Jose State currently has a 12-5 mark with a 4-2 record in conference action. The Spartans have won four of its last five, including a five-set win over New Mexico most recently. SJSU is 3-1 on the road during its first six MW matches. Senior middle blocker Nandayla Gama leads the team with 240 total kills, and is sixth in the conference with 3.43 kills per set. Junior outside Giulia Gavio (3.64 kps) and sophomore outside Fernanda Vido (3.47 kps) are also in the top-ten in kills, sitting fourth and fifth, respectively. Junior libero Luiza Andrade leads the MW in service aces (0.37 saps), while senior setter Breann Robinson is second in assists (10.08 aps). Andrade also owns a share of seventh-place in digs (4.00 dps) for the Spartans.
 
Up Next
After its two matches this weekend, Wyoming will take to the road once again for a match at New Mexico on Thursday, Oct. 19 before an Oct. 21 test at UNLV.