Las Vegas, New Mexico - After opening the 2024 season in San Angelo a week ago, the NMHU volleyball team is headed back to Texas for three matches at the UT - Permian Basin tournament in Odessa.
Head Coach:
Meg Grose is in her first season leading the New Mexico Highlands volleyball team. She was named the new head coach in December of last year after spending the 2023 season as the Head Coach at Lawrence University. She spent time as the assistant coach at New Mexico Highlands from 2020 to 22023.
Last Season: The Cowgirls were 3-25 overall and 1-13 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference last year.
RMAC Poll: The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference released the 2024 Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll last month and New Mexico Highlands received 23 points in the voting by the conference's 15 coaches.
2024 Roster: The 2024 roster features 19 players with 12 returning from last year's team. The Cowgirls added seven new players to the roster this season, five freshmen and two transfers.
Roster Breakdown:
By Class By         Home State
Freshman 5 Â Â Â Â Â Â New Mexico 12
Sophomore 9 Â Â Â Texas 2
Junior 3 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Wisconsin 2
Senior 2 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Arizona 1
                            California 1
                            Colorado 1
Last Week: The Cowgirls went 0-4 at the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational at Angelo State last weekend. While the record may not show it, the caliber of competition was a good measuring stick for the young Cowgirls squad.
After the tournament last week, Grose said, "The weekend didn't turn out the way we wanted it to from a wins and losses stand-point, but we played some very talented teams who helped us understand how we need to compete every time we take the court."
Cowgirl Honors: Sophomore
Jaylee Gonzales was named to the 2024 Kathleen Brasfield Invitational after posting 25 kills, 32 digs, and four blocks in the tournament last weekend.
Weekend Schedule:
Friday
Sul Ross State             3:30 pm
Saturday
SE Oklahoma State     11:00 am
UT Permian Basin         1:30 pm
*Times are Mountain Time
Scouting The Opposition: The Cowgirls open play this weekend against Sul Ross State on Friday afternoon. The Lobos are members of the Lone Star Conference and went 9-16 a year ago. Sul Ross is coached by Annika Canaba and will open the 2024 season this weekend in Odessa. Friday's match will be the first ever meeting between the two teams.
The Cowgirls Start the day with a match against Southeastern Oklahoma State from the Great American Conference. They'll bring a 1-3 record into play this weekend after playing in the Henderson State tournament a week ago. Saturday's match will be the fifth all-time meeting between the Cowgirls and the Savage Storm with the series tied at 2-2.. Nicole Solum-Mitchell is in her sixth season at Southeastern Oklahoma State.
Play will wrap up this weekend against the host Falcons on Saturday afternoon. Like the Cowgirls UT-Permian Basin was at the Angelo State tournament last week where they went 2-2. The Falcons are led by first year head coach CJ Allard and have a 2-0 edge in the all-time series with NMHU, including last weekend's 3-1 win in San Angelo.
"We'll get back to work as a team this week and play better next weekend in Odessa," said Grose when asked about this week's match-ups after the tournament at Angelo State..
Follow The Cowgirls: All three matches will be live-streamed and are available for purchase via the Lone Star Network. Links to the individual broadcasts and LiveStats can be found at the
UTPB Tournament Homepage.
Up Next: After playing their first seven matches on the road, the Cowgirls play their home opener on Friday, September 20th, when they host Adams State. Match time is set for 6:00 pm.
Season Tickets: Season tickets for the Cowgirls 2024 season are available for purchase at
NMHUAthletics.com/Tickets.
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