LARAMIE, Wyo. (August 20, 2019) – At the Brown and Gold scrimmage coming up on Friday, August 23, a few new Cowgirls will have a chance to play in front of Wyoming fans for the first time. Two of those newcomers are both of Wyoming's new setters: Mackenzie Coates and Kyra Slavik.
 
"I've been really pleased with both of them," said head volleyball coach Chad Callihan. "They're hard workers and they deliver a really nice ball. We're doing some things offensively that we haven't done here in quite a while. The key with both of them is keeping them healthy. They've both had some injury issues over their careers. Keeping them healthy and upright so they can run our offense is going to be key. I've been really pleased. I think it was a bit of a question mark in January what that position was going to look like for us, and those have been answered this first week of preseason."
 
Coates, a 6-1 junior from Buda, Texas, has spent the last two seasons at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. As a sophomore last season with the Islanders, Coates suffered through an injury but played in 16 matches and started six times.
 
"We're really excited," Coates said. "We've been working on our connection with our hitters. We have a lot of depth this year with our hitters. Our passing has been really good, and we're both really excited."
 
Coates put up 154 assists (including five matches with double-figure assists), 41 digs, four blocks, 11 kills and four service aces in 2018, showing the all-around ability that Callihan has seen from both new setters for the Cowgirls.
 
"I think both setters have the capability of going all the way around in a five/one, but I also think we have some pretty good attackers, and it would make sense for us to get them on the court, which would put us into a six/two," Callihan said. "It's nice to have some options, but I feel like it will be more of our choice, rather than what we have to do, and I think we may have felt like that at times in the past."
 
Slavik is a redshirt freshman after appearing in eight matches at Ohio last season. In those eight matches, she compiled 136 assists for a 3.89 assists per set average. One of her best games came against Drake with a career-high 23 assists.
 
"We're just both really excited," Slavik said. "We both came from two different schools these past semesters and transferring in, so we're both getting used to it. The tempo and everything, we're trying to speed things up, so I think our offense is going to be really good this year. Our passing has been great, so it's been really easy to run the offense."
 
Slavik put up her first career double-double last season in a win over IUPUI with 16 assists and 12 digs. The transition to Wyoming for the two newcomers has gone smooth so far, and Callihan likes how fast they are able to play on the offensive side of the ball.
 
"They're doing well, and they're asking good questions," Callihan said. "They both run a good tempo, which is great because we've always like to play quick. Sometimes in the past, we haven't been able to just due to personnel and ball control. The combination of them being able to set a nice ball and our passers being as good as we've been, we'll be able to speed things up."
 
But it's not just the offense and the tempo that impresses Callihan, both Coates and Slavik bring the small intangibles that setters need to have on the court.
 
"They both have a good presence about them on the floor," Callihan said. "I don't know that either of them are big vocal leaders, but they'll say what needs to be said. They both just bring a nice composure to the court, which sometimes you just want that in the setter. As much as we say they're the quarterback, at the same time, it's nice to have a steadying influence there when things may not be going right. So far, so good, I've been really pleased."
 
Cowgirl fans will get their first look at the outside hitters and the rest of the 2019 team at the Brown & Gold Scrimmage on Friday, August 23, in the UniWyo Sports Complex at 6:30 p.m. (MT). Then, on Saturday, August 24, the Cowgirls will face Nebraska-Kearney in an exhibition match at Cheyenne East High School at 6:30 p.m.
 
Season tickets are available for Cowgirl volleyball, starting at $65 for public general admission and $35 for children between the ages of 3-12. Single-match tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for children. Fans can contact the Wyoming ticket office at (307) 7660-7220 or by visiting the ticket office in the Arena-Auditorium Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.