LARAMIE, Wyo. (Nov. 28, 2023) – The Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team returns to postseason play for the first time since 2019 Thursday afternoon as they face South Dakota at 3 p.m., in the first round of the NIVC. Thursday's match will be in Greeley, Colo., as Northern Colorado will be the host for the first two rounds of the tournament in Wyoming's four-team pod.
Wyoming (20-9) enters the tournament having won its last two matches of the regular season and four of its final five overall. The Cowgirls won in four sets over Air Force in the penultimate match of the regular season closed with a sweep over New Mexico in the finale. Sarah Holcomb was named the Mountain West's Defensive Player of the Week last week after she anchored a defense that held the Falcons and Lobos to just a .152 hitting percentage combined. Holcomb averaged 2.29 blocks per set and tallied 16 total. Holcomb tied a career-high with nine blocks in the win over UNM.
Partyka leads the Cowgirl offense down to Greeley after being named to the All-Mountain West Team. Partyka leads the league and ranks 18th in the nation averaging 10.67 assists per set. Partyka orchestrated a Wyoming offense that ranked third overall in the MW with a team hitting percentage of .260. Rylee Schulz has a team-best 354 kills this season and ranks seventh in the league averaging 3.25 points per set. Schulz is also 10th in the Mountain West averaging 3.75 points per set on her way to an honorable mention all-league selection this season.
This will be Wyoming's fourth trip to the NIVC. The Cowgirls made three consecutive trips to the tourney from 2017-19. If UW moves on to the second round, the Cowgirls will face the winner of Valparaiso and Northern Colorado at 6 p.m., Friday.
South Dakota was the regular season Summit League champion after going 12-4 in league play. The Coyotes lost in five sets to North Dakota State in the quarterfinals of the Summit League Tournament. USD is led by Summit League Player of the Year, Madison Harms, who averages 2.94 kills, 3.71 points and 1.25 blocks per set while hitting an efficient .376 on the year. Kylen Sealock was a First Team All-Summit selection after she tallied a team-best 350 kills (3.15 per). Avery Van Hook was an All-Freshman Team honoree after leading the Coyotes with 8.84 assists per set. In the back row, Kamryn Farris leads the squad averaging 3.56 digs a set.
-WYO-
