University of Northern Colorado Athletics
University of Northern Colorado
Wyoming (EXH)
Volleyball pegged third in Big Sky Preseason Poll, welcomes in Wyoming for exhibition
8/18/2021 12:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado Volleyball finally opens its 2021 fall campaign with a familiar foe. Though it may only be an exhibition match, Wyoming presents a stern test for the Bears to begin the year.
Who: Northern Colorado (0-0, 0-0) vs. Wyoming (0-0, 0-0)
When: Friday, August 20 | 6 p.m. MT
Where: Greely, Colo. | Bank of Colorado Arena
How To Follow: Live Stats | UNCBearsVB
Quick Sets
The Big Sky Conference released its Preseason Coach's Poll on Wednesday and the Bears were tabbed to finish third. Weber State was the unanimous No. 1 with Northern Arizona dropping in just three points (86) ahead of UNC (83).
Head coach Lyndsey Oates returns for her 17th season at the helm of the Blue and Gold. Oates returns five starters from its spring season, including All-Big Sky Second team member Rachel Hickman and 2019 conference MVP Daisy Schultz.
Schultz has racked up north of 4,000 assists in her career in Greeley and will likely take over both the program and Division-I records for assists. The Greenwood Village, Colorado native is also 263 digs away from becoming the 27th player in program history to reach the 1,000 digs milestone.
UNC also welcomes four newcomers to the roster. Freshmen middle blocker Maddie Davies and outside hitter Annette Baker bring youth to the squad while Kansas City transfers Mimi Dunda and Kelsie Milkowski provide added depth in the middle and outside.
Oates, who is already the second-winningest coach in program history, enters the 2021 season with 283 wins just 17 shy of 300.
Last Time Out
The last time we saw the Bears in action was in the Championship Game of the Big Sky tournament. After UNC took the opening set, 26-24, Weber State closed out the match with three-straight set wins.
Taylor Muff notched her final double-double in her illustrious career with 13 kills and 12 digs. Rachel Hickman matched Muff's kill total on the night while two-time Big Sky defensive player of the week Kyndall Feather rang up a match-high 23 digs.
Scouting Wyoming
Ninth-year head coach Chad Callihan guided his team to an 8-6 record and a fifth-place finish in the Mountain West last spring. Like Oates, Callihan possesses a stable of returners, including four-time All-Mountain West member Jackie McBride.
In total, the Cowgirls return 12 letterwinners from a season again and five of its starters.
History Against the Cowgirls
The Bears are an even 10-10 versus Wyoming since the two programs first met in 1976. Back in 2019, the Cowgirls outlasted the Bears in a five-set thriller. Oates' squad last beat Wyoming in 2014 three sets to one.
Looking Ahead
Northern Colorado opens its regular-season slate with three monster matchups inside the Bank of Colorado Arena. Next Friday, August 27, the Bears welcome the Big Ten's Northwestern and will face South Dakota a day later. In-state rival Colorado State comes to town at the end of the month before UNC heads to Denver for a three-day tournament.
To stay up to date on all things UNC volleyball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
