LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 5, 2018) -- The Wyoming volleyball team returns home this weekend to host the UniWyo Invitational at the UniWyo Sports Complex. The Cowgirls (5-1) will welcome Arizona State, Binghamton and Murray State to Laramie for the team's second home tournament of the year.
 
The Brown and Gold will open the tournament on Friday at noon against Binghamton, before taking on Arizona State that night at 7 p.m. Wyoming will then close out the tournament against Murray State on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
"I think all of the teams present a different challenge," head coach Chad Callihan said. "I know how good (Murray State is). They've finished top two in their league for the last four or five years and have averaged about 20 wins a year. It's a 1 p.m. game after playing Arizona State the night before. I feel like it may be a trap or let-down-type game and we just need to make sure we're prepared and guarded against that. Obviously, Arizona State is a pretty physical team and they've gotten off to a really good start this season as well so that will be a really great match. Binghamton is a noon Friday game where there isn't going to be a giant crowd there, and we just need to make sure we're internally focused and motivated and not try to rely on a big crowd that day."
 
The first 200 fans at Friday's noon match will receive free Chick-fil-A. Saturday afternoon's match will feature family pack tickets that include two adult and two youth tickets for $19.
 
The Cowgirls are coming off a 2-1 showing at the North Portland Marriott Invite last weekend in Portland, Ore. Wyoming opened the weekend with a clean, 3-0 sweep of LIU Brooklyn on Friday before coming up just short of a comeback against Portland, dropping the match in five sets. The Pokes wrapped up the tournament on Sunday morning with a dominant, 3-0 win over Montana State.
 
With a team hitting percentage of .291 heading into the weekend, the Cowgirls lead the MW and are currently ranked 10th in the country in team hitting percentage. Wyoming is also second in the MW in opponent hitting percentage at .151, which ranks 41st nationally. wo Cowgirls are ranked in the top 10 of the conference in hitting percentage. Jackie McBride leads the team with a .400 mark, ranking fifth in the MW and 62nd nationally. KC McMahon ranks sixth in the MW and 71st nationally at .391.
 
Wyoming has spread out its offensive attack so far this year, with seven Pokes racking up 35 or more kills and five with 44 or more. The team has compiled 299 kills collectively, and its 13.59 kills per set average ranks third in the MW and 61st nationally. Junior Tara Traphagan leads the Cowgirls in kills with 56.
 
Arizona State enters this weekend's tournament with a 5-1 record. The Sun Devils opened the year with five-straight wins before falling to Missouri in the finale of the Puerto Rico Clasico, 3-1, on Sunday. Arizona State is led offensively by junior outside hitter Ivana Jeremic with 82 kills, while setter Nicole Peterson paces the Sun Devils in assists with 230 to rank 56th nationally and fourth in the Pac-12. Defensively, Cortney Leffel leads in digs with 83 and senior middle blocker Carmen Unzue leads in blocks with 13. Head coach Sanja Tomasevic (15-23) is in her second season at Arizona State. Friday's match will mark the 11th all-time meeting between the Cowgirls and Sun Devils, with Arizona State leading the series, 7-3.
 
Binghamton heads into the weekend at 0-6 thus far into the season, coming off a 3-0 loss at UT Arlington last weekend. The Bearcats are led in kills by senior outside hitter Gaby Alicea with 73. Alicea's 3.65 kills per set mark ranks first in the America East Conference. Kiara Adams figures to get the start at setter for Binghamton, leading the team with 133 assists. Samantha Gioisa's 87 digs lead the Bearcats, while Lexi LaGoy's 14 total blocks lead the team in that category. Head coach Glen Kiriyama (275-298) is in his 20th year at the helm of the Binghamton program. Friday afternoon's match against the Bearcats will mark the first match in the series between the two teams.
 
Murray State is 4-2 heading into this weekend's matches after a 2-1 weekend at the Saluki Invitational where they picked up wins over Alabama A&M and Southern Illinois. Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Giustino leads the Racers with 89 kills, and her 4.68 kills per set ranks 14th nationally.  Setter Callie Anderton owns 177 assists on the season. Defensively, rookie libero Becca Fernandez paces Murray State in digs with 72, while Katirah Johnson's 11 blocks lead the team in that category. The Cowgirls and Racers will be meeting for the second time ever on Saturday, with Wyoming coming up victorious, 3-1, in the only previous meeting in 2010.
 
Following this weekend's tournament the Cowgirls will travel to Iowa to wrap up their non-conference schedule at the Iowa State Cyclone Classic, beginning Thursday, Sept. 13 and finishing up Saturday, Sept. 15. The Pokes will take on Iowa State, Syracuse and Iowa at the event.