Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
UW volleyball finishes regular season with 2 home games
Wyoming's KC McMahon celebrates after the Cowgirls score a point during a Oct. 25 match against Fresno State at the UniWyo Sports Complex in Laramie.
LARAMIE – The 2018 season for the University of Wyoming volleyball team hasn't gone as hoped or expected.
Still, the Cowgirls (18-10 overall, 10-6 Mountain West) go into the final weekend of the regular season with a shot at 20 wins and the hope of earning a spot in the National Invitation Volleyball Championship postseason tournament.
With an RPI ranking of No. 98, Cowgirls coach Chad Callihan hopes at least one win at home over New Mexico (6:30 tonight) or UNLV (7 p.m. Saturday) will be enough to earn the program's second straight postseason bid. Two wins would help even more.
"A 20-win season is something that a lot of people look at as a good benchmark, and we have the opportunity to do that," Callihan said. "The NIVC is still something that's in play for us. And we want to send our seniors out on a positive note. There's still a lot to play for this last week."
The Cowgirls have three players playing their final home matches this weekend – senior middle blocker Reed Copeland, senior outside hitter Emily Lewis and junior setter Cori Aafedt. Aafedt has decided to forgo her senior season to concentrate on her academic requirements next year.
Copeland will leave UW as one of the top two block leaders in program history. The Federal Way, Washington, product has 633 career blocks, second in program history to Jodi Purdy with 714.
Copeland's 170 blocks this season currently ranks second in the nation and is seventh for a single season. The senior would need 55 blocks down the stretch to beat Erin Kirby's single-season record of 225.
Lewis enters her final home matches with 835 career kills, 259 digs and 195 total blocks.
Aafedt, who passed the 1,000-assist mark this season, has 1,145 for her career.
"They've meant a lot to our program, and have been really good for us both on the court and off the court," Callihan said. "They're people you never have to worry about doing the wrong thing, and they're always trying to put their best foot forward. It's been fun over the last four years to watch them grow as people.
"I think of Reed and how much she's matured and the things she's doing, even outside of volleyball. It's a good reminder of why we do this."
The Cowgirls are coming off a weekend road split of losing 3-0 at Boise State and winning 3-0 at Utah State.
UW has spent the last month in that trend of alternating wins and losses, and enters the final weekend tied for third in the MW with UNLV, three games behind Fresno State for second and four behind league-leader Colorado State.
UW won't reach its ultimate goal of an NCAA Tournament bid, but Callihan's hope is the team understands there's still something to play for.
"I'd love for us to step out on the court and show the maturity to keep playing, keep fighting, even though things haven't gone the way we had hoped they would," he said. "We're on the cusp of a 20-win season and the fifth straight year with an RPI better than 100. It's been a pretty good season. We shouldn't view this as a failure.
"There's quite a few teams who would be envious of what we have."
