LARAMIE, Wyo. (Nov. 13, 2017) -- After two impressive performances last weekend, the University of Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team will enter the final week of conference action with plenty at stake. UW will entertain San Diego State on Wednesday evening before closing the regular season at Fresno State on Saturday.
 
With Senior Recognition events planned before and after the match, UW will host SDSU on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. MT, and then travel for a 2 p.m. contest in Fresno on Saturday. The Cowgirls (16-12, 11-5 MW) are currently in second place in the MW with the Aztecs (16-13, 10-5 MW) one match behind in third.
 
Live Coverage
Both matches will be broadcast live on the MW Network. Links to live stats and live video can be found above. Fans are also welcome and encouraged to follow @wyo_volleyball on Twitter and @wyovolleyball on Instagram for updates throughout the week.
 
Last Time Out
Wyoming swept through its last two matches with straight-set wins at San Jose State and Nevada last weekend. Senior Lily Austin led the team with 17 digs on Thursday night against SJSU, as both junior Reed Copeland and redshirt freshman Jackie McBride tallied ten kills against the Spartans. On Saturday, sophomore Halie McArdle led the way for the Brown and Gold at Nevada. She posted a match-high 14 kills, including a .433 hitting clip, while junior Emily Lewis had 11 kills on .360 hitting. Austin once again posted 17 digs and moved into sole possession of eighth all-time with 966 career digs at UW.
 
Wyoming Leaders
In conference play, McBride has soared to fourth in hitting percentage (.352, 119-29-256), while Copeland is close behind in sixth (.325, 112-38-228). Harmon is still sitting third in assists (10.68 aps), while also fourth in service aces (0.36 saps). Copeland is sitting seventh in blocks (1.25 bps), as Traphagan is currently ninth in the MW in kills (3.22 kps). Additionally, sophomore Madi Fields is ninth in digs with 3.31 digs per set.
 
Against San Diego State and Fresno State
Wednesday's contest against SDSU, which is the first of 2017, will mark the 53rd meeting all-time against the Aztecs. San Diego State holds a 35-14 advantage in the series (due to NCAA violations, wins from the 2008-11 seasons were vacated), but the Cowgirls have won three of the last four. Against Fresno State (10-17, 5-10 MW), Wyoming leads the all-time series 17-11 and have won five of the last six against the Bulldogs. It will also be the first contest against the Bulldogs this season for Wyoming.
 
The Opponents
The Aztecs have won seven of their last eight matches and are 3-5 on the road during MW play. In conference action, senior Devyn Pritchard leads the league in digs (5.30 dps), as senior Baylee Little is second (.366, 118-33-232) in hitting percentage with senior Deja Harris in ninth (.301, 182-73-362). Freshman Gabbie Peoples is second in assists (11.25 aps), while Harris is third in blocks (1.37 bps). Harris earned her second-career MW Offensive Player of the Week award on Monday morning. Fresno State (10-17, 5-10 MW) picked up a win against New Mexico last Thursday, but had dropped five-straight matches prior to that. In conference play this season, junior Halie Watson leads the MW in blocks (1.41 bps), as teammate and senior Lauren Torres is eighth (1.22 bps). Sophomore Sydney Lostumo is currently fifth in service aces (0.33 saps), while senior Jacque Hutcheson is eight in digs (3.52 dps).
 
Second Place on the Line
A win over the Aztecs on Wednesday would secure a second-place finish for UW in the MW. Since the MW came about in 1999, Wyoming volleyball has never finished higher than third in the final MW standings. As a member of the High Country Athletic Conference (HCAC) in 1989, UW claimed its first and only conference title. The Brown and Gold also tied for second in 1984 and 1986 while in the HCAC.
 
Postseason Right around the Corner
Nothing is certain, but in all likelihood the MW will only have one team advance to the NCAA Tournament this year. It will not be the only opportunity for MW teams to advance to postseason play, as the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) will make its modern era debut this year. The NIVC, which was previously played from 1989 to 1995 as a 20 team event, will feature a 64-team field this postseason. It will be announced on Nov. 26 with 32 automatic berths and 32 at-large berths. The tournament will be a single-elimination format with matches hosted by participating schools.
 
Wyoming, which has competed in four NCAA tournaments, has not made the postseason since the 1994 season. In the 45 years of Cowgirl volleyball, UW has made the postseason four times. The Brown and Gold hold a 2-4 record in postseason play, with all matches played in the NCAA Tournament. UW earned wins against Stanford and UCLA during the historical 1989 season that ended in the Sweet 16. Wyoming fell to Penn State in its first appearance in the tournament in 1986, before falling in the first round to Stanford in 1990 and Washington in 1994.
 
Up Next
As mentioned above, the NCAA will select its tournament participants on Nov. 26. Later that evening the NIVC will announce its field. Each of the 32 Division I conferences will get one automatic selection, which is given to the team with the best regular-season conference record not already in the NCAA Tournament. There will be an additional 32 teams selected to play in the NIVC. These at-large teams will be selected by looking at the teams RPI and then the first 32 teams that weren't selected for the NCAA Tournament or were NIVC automatic qualifiers. 
 
After the field is set, the NIVC will sort the 64 teams into groups based on team strength along with geographical considerations to create its bracket. All matches will be played at campus sites. The first and second rounds will take place Nov. 28-30 with one school hosting three other teams. The third round (of 16) will be held Dec. 1-3, while the fourth round (of 8) will be held Dec. 4-6. The semifinals will be held Dec 7-9. And the championship match will be on Tuesday, December 12 at 5 p.m. MT. The final match will be streamed online by ESPN.