For Wyoming volleyball head coach Kaylee Prigge, an international team trip is more than a sightseeing opportunity. If history is any indication, it might be a championship-building tool.
Prigge has seen firsthand how that special bond created from a team trip can translate into results on the court. Prigge played collegiately at the University of Tampa from 2010-12 and had two short stints on staff there as well from 2013-14 and 2015-17. The Spartans were able to win a Division-II national championship in 2014, which Prigge noted how that title came directly after the team had taken an international trip together. In fact, Prigge also added that all four of her college head coach Chris Catanach's national titles came in seasons directly following an overseas trip.
Four national championships following four international trips is a pattern that seems to be more than just coincidence.
"He won four Division-II national championships in his career, and all four came the season after an international trip. So, I think it can be your separator," Prigge said. "It's definitely a team bonding opportunity and there's also the volleyball opportunity.
"We get exposed to a really high level of competition when you're over there and you get 10 extra days to train leading up to the trip. So, when timed right and used wisely, I think it can really make a difference in your upcoming season for sure."
The trip included a stay in Prague in the Czech Republic and multiple stops in Slovenia and Italy. The Cowgirls had less than 24 hours to settle in before their first match against a club team in Prague–which proved to be the least of their worries in preparing for the match as the Cowgirls were quickly forced to adapt to different warm up routines and a different ball than they are used to.
The club team even featured a player older than anyone on staff for the Cowgirls, which remained an ongoing joke between the group as they traversed a completely new style of volleyball.
"The joke against that team was they had an outside hitter who was 35, which is older than anyone on our coaching staff," Prigge said. "Our girls are thinking that's hilarious and they're just eating that up.
"We did not play our best volleyball that first match…we got to play the same team again the next day and we won the match, and that was just a nice turnaround after kind of getting our wits about us."
Back-to-back matches against the same squad–especially under the circumstances the Cowgirls competed under–proved to be a valuable learning experience as Mountain West play shifts to a similar schedule of playing the same team in back-to-back days this upcoming season. Being able to bounce back from a tough loss in the matter of just a single day will be crucial if the Cowgirls want to compete for a MW championship this season.
However, the biggest challenge for the Cowgirls in their matches overseas came when they faced Italy's under-22 junior national team. Many of the players on that club are fighting for spots to compete on Italy's Olympic indoor volleyball team, which won the gold medal over the United States at the 2024 Olympics.
The Cowgirls were able to take one set of five against the squad, in a match that was highly contested throughout.
"They challenged us and there was not one point off. They were really physical everywhere, and it was just a really, really cool opportunity to get to play against them," Prigge said.
The experience overseas, combined with the stronger team chemistry built during the trip, should provide a boost heading into the 2026 season.
"I think it has to be a confidence builder, right? You're competing at that high of a level and figuring some things out, you've got to use it and keep it in your back pocket," Prigge said of the chance to compete against international talent.
The Cowgirls return 10 scholarship players from a 17-13 campaign that saw the Cowgirls finish third in league play. The returners include the team's leader in kills and top two leaders in assists. Prigge and her staff also added four transfers and three freshmen to round out this year's roster, which will look to immediately compete for a MW championship as the Cowgirls enter the new-look conference as the highest placing returning team from the league last year.
"I think last year we got to have a little bit of an underdog mentality, and now we're the highest finishing team that's staying in the Mountain West, and I think we have a little bit more of a target on our back," Prigge said. "We get to decide how that mentality shift is, how we're gonna handle it and what we're going to do with it."
The season opener will provide the first opportunity to see whether the lessons learned overseas translate into success on the court, as the Cowgirls play host to Power Four contingent Texas Tech in their first match of the season.
