LARAMIE, Wyo. (Nov. 27, 2018) – The Wyoming volleyball team is set to host the first recorded postseason games in program history this weekend as Utah Valley, Northern Colorado and Portland come to town for the annual National Invitational Volleyball Championship this weekend.
 
"I think it's exciting," head coach Chad Callihan said. "I'm very excited for this particular group. I think that we got off to a good start, then faced a little bit of adversity in the middle of the season. There were points in the season where we could've let it slip away from us, but they did a great job of hanging on and continuing to compete. It was nice to see the team wrap up with three in a row at the end of the season and battle their way through and they've been rewarded for it. I'm just happy for this group. I think they really enjoy volleyball and it's nice for them to have an opportunity to get to compete a little longer."
 
The Cowgirls (20-10, 12-6 MW) will open the tournament against Utah Valley on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. MT. If they advance, the Pokes will take on the winner of Northern Colorado and Portland on Friday at 6:30 p.m. MT.
 
Tickets for the event are on sale now at gowyo.com/tickets.
 
Much like the WNIT and NIT events in college basketball, the NIVC is a single-elimination event with all games played at sites of host schools. The NIVC is committed to offering deserved opportunities to women's Volleyball programs, and the 2018 Postseason NIVC features a full 32-team bracket.
 
Wyoming is coming off three-straight wins to wrap up its conference slate, including a couple of home wins against UNLV and New Mexico in their final home weekend to record the first 20-win season for the program since 2015.
 
What to Watch For
- Chad Callihan currently has won 122 matches during his five seasons in Laramie. Only Hall of Fame coach Mike English has won more matches at UW. English went 124-86 in seven seasons. With two wins this week in the NIVC, Callihan can tie English for most coaching wins in Wyoming history.
- With 187 blocks so far, Reed Copeland's 2018 season is currently fourth in that category and just three blocks off from her career-best 190 in 2015. Now in her fourth year at Wyoming, Copeland has the third, fourth and 11th-highest single-season block totals in program history.
- Madi Fields has racked up 464 total digs so far this season to rank fourth in that category. She has already recorded 37 more digs than her previous best: 427 last year, which ranks sixth in school history.
- In its 30 matches this season, Wyoming has taken 18 first sets. The Cowgirls are hard to stop after they strike first, going 18-0 in those matches. In MW play, the Pokes are 10-0 when taking the first set.
- The Cowgirls have started off the season strong at home, opening with an 14-1 record so far this season in Laramie. Starting at 11-0, it marked the first time in program history that Wyoming won each of its first 11 home matches of the season.
 
About the Opponents
 
Utah Valley heads into the weekend with a 19-13 overall record after making a run to the WAC Tournament title match last weekend with wins over CSU Bakersfield and UT Rio Grande Valley. The Wolverines are making their first postseason appearance in the program's NCAA Division I history this weekend at the NIVC. They are led by WAC Freshman of the Year and all-conference selection Kazna Tarawhiti, as well as Second Team All-WAC selections Kristen Allred and Makaila Jarema.
 
Portland will also be making a postseason appearance for the first time in program history this weekend, picking up the most victories in a season in program history on the way to an 18-12 year. The Pilots head into the tournament after dropping five-straight matches. Portland is led by All-WCC honorable mention middle blocker Katie Barker, who leads the Pilots and ranks sixth in the WCC in blocks to go along with 255 kills.
 
Northern Colorado heads into the weekend at 15-13 overall with a 15-13 record in Big Sky play. The Bears advanced to the Big Sky semifinals last weekend with a win over No. 3 seed Weber State before dropping a five-setter to No. 2 seed Idaho. Defensive specialist Taylor Els leads the Bears defensively with 5.56 digs per set to rank 11th nationally. Daisy Schultz ranks 14th in the country with 11.32 assists per set.
 
Wyoming in the Postseason

Last season, the Cowgirls competed in the postseason play for the first time since 1994 when they were selected to the 2017 NIVC. This year, they will be making back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since 1990. It is also the first time in school history the Cowgirls will host a postseason match.
 
Wyoming has competed in postseason play five times in its programs history (four times in the NCAA Tournament and once in the NIVC). The Cowgirls are 2-4 all-time in the NCAA tournament, with wins against Stanford and UCLA during the historical 1989 season that ended in the Sweet 16. Wyoming lost 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. The Pokes are 0-1 in NIVC matches.