An inside look at Wyoming volleyball’s European tour | University of Wyoming

LARAMIE — Sara Quigley found herself scrambling for a passport. She was going international.

A small window of time during Christmas break, when Quigley jetted back home to Texas, allowed her to obtain the item needed for one epic summer trip.

Necessary efforts for University of Wyoming volleyball’s summer plans. Now try topping the Cowgirls’ itinerary.

Quigley, a rising sophomore, and the Cowgirls spent the past year in preparation for this — a European trip, which spanned from the Italian Riviera beaches to the wine-rich rolling hills of Slovenia to some of the continent’s largest cities.

Volleyball was the main reason for the trip, but tons of sightseeing was done and lifelong memories made during the May 23-June 3 journey.

“It was just so amazing to know that I was going to be probably for one time in my life — it is probably never going to happen again — (be) with 16 of my best friends and all of my coaches,” Quigley said. “Able to not only play the sport I love, but try new things and find a newfound sense of identity too along the trip, so it was amazing to hear about it.”

UW head coach Kaylee Prigge put it simply — a trip of this magnitude isn’t cheap.

Travel funds were heavily dependent on the university’s annual giving day.

The Cowgirls generated $67,917 — second-most among UW’s athletic programs — from 80 donors during the 24-hour effort Oct. 23-24.

An influx of funding also came from the Cowgirls’ home match Oct. 23, when donation links directed viewers from the Mountain West Network straight to the source.

“We worked pretty hard on that and (it was) kind of unique in terms of instead of just phone calls and your standard stuff trying to create something around our match,” Prigge said.

Money generated from annual summer camps and individual donor requests also contributed, rising junior Addy Thorington said.

A venture this large required outside assistance. UW pulled a move similar to most programs who travel internationally — it booked with Bring It USA, a volleyball-specific travel agency that specializes in team trips like this.

“I don’t know that we will be going every year moving forward, but the idea (for) when we are recruiting is at least once in your career we will take you overseas,” Prigge said.

The Cowgirls started the excursion in Prague, a two-day stop that included two exhibition matches against a local club.

UW played four matches and didn’t practice throughout the trip. Some programs play as few as two matches or as many as five during a foreign tour, Prigge said.

“We kind of wanted to strike that nice balance between getting some great volleyball out of it but also the team bonding, the sightseeing, the having some fun piece, too,” Prigge said. “I liked four matches. The volleyball was just fun, so I totally could have played one more. I don’t know if our team would have said the same thing.”

The Cowgirls left Prague for Slovenia, with an afternoon in Vienna, en route to what Prigge called “one of the highlights of the trip.”

Slovenia’s destinations — Maribor and Lake Bled — presented a change of pace from the major “touristy” cities, such as Venice and Milan, Prigge said.

“We rode an alpine slide in the morning, which was really fun and fun to see the girls’ personalities come out in that,” Prigge said. “Like, who wants to go as fast as they can go the entire time and who is trying to pull the brakes. We ate lunch at the top of the mountain where that alpine slide is.”

A match that evening preceded dinner at a winery and an impromptu tour of the cellar room, thanks to the winery’s owners, who are family friends with Bring It USA staffers, Prigge said.

Prigge’s team participated in a winery tradition, where the names of hundreds of past college volleyball players adorn the wall.

“You go downstairs and it is Texas, back-to-back national champions,” Prigge said. “Penn State. (Redshirt sophomore) Maddy Stucky found her sister’s signature when she was at Florida from a couple of years ago. My alma mater from a couple of years ago is on the wall. Every team who has been over there all the way across the world has signed this wall.”

The Cowgirls inscribed the wall with “Wyoming volleyball. Let ’er buck.”

“Just so, so cool for that to be so volleyball specific,” Prigge said. “Pretty uncommon in that.”

A postcard-worthy Italian atmosphere awaited the team after Slovenia. Sure, the Cowgirls stopped at Venice and Milan, but they spent a beach day at Cinque Terre — a group of ancient seaside villages on the country’s Riviera coastline.

“It was just straight out a movie, honestly,” Quigley said. “We would go to a little cove, and we went cliff jumping.”

A few, but not many Cowgirls, braved the challenge.

“(The cliffs) were decently high,” Thorington said. “There was a little bit of convincing to make me jump off of it, but it happened, and it was fun.”

Quigley’s mother gifted her two waterproof disposal cameras that Quigley used to permanently capture the moments.

The photos, Quigley said, still don’t do it justice.

“It was just so freeing to know that there is so much life outside of your little bubble that you live in in everyday life, and it was just magical to be there,” she said.

The allure of European shopping — new dresses, heels and all sorts of wardrobe additions — caused minor packing issues.

Some teammates were forced to pay an overweight fee. Thorington also bought a carry-on suitcase during the trip to carry all the new souvenirs.

“We tried to have some good outfits,” she said. “We were all talking about it the month-and-a-half before the trip. We were like, ‘Guys, what do we wear?’”

UW also battled Italy’s under-22 junior national team in a five-set match that Italy won, 4-1.

“They were really physical,” Prigge said. “Really good on every pin. It was a really great experience for us to get to play that high level of volleyball and compete. An interesting feeling.

“Offensively, they ran a slower tempo than we do, but it still felt like there was not one point off. Really, really high-level volleyball that really challenged us in a great way.”

The opponents UW saw perhaps provided a glimpse into a future Olympic roster, Prigge said, as Italy defeated the United States in the 2024 Summer Olympics women’s indoor volleyball gold medal match.

Adjustments as minor as time change from three types of volleyballs — differing material and shape of the panels — challenged the Cowgirls, which Prigge considered simulation for the season.

“Not everything is aligned exactly how you would like it to be,” she said. “Not everything going your way, but (you) just have to adjust and respond at a high level and figure it out. I thought we did a really nice job. I was so impressed with our team.

“I thought they were extremely intentional with their time on and off the court. Investing in each other and taking advantage of the high-level volleyball we were exposed to.”

Two-time All-Mountain West outside hitter Paige Lauterwasser “rose to a whole other level,” Prigge said.

Lauterwasser, a rising senior, led UW with 314 kills in 2025.

“(Lauterwasser) wants to play pro after college, and so I thought she really took advantage of the opportunity,” Prigge said. “She was exposed to the level that she wants to play at after college and really rose to the occasion there.”

Prigge also noted rising senior right side/outside hitter Emma Winter and rising sophomore transfer libero Anna Melgren as standouts.

UW freshmen Rylee Heinz, Ruby Jensen and Emerson Macias joined the squad in spring 2025, and completed the travel contingent.

“We are sending a lot of thank you (cards) out right now in the form of postcards to everybody who donated to make the trip possible,” Prigge said. “Wyoming is such a special place, and it is the people that make it special. That includes everyone who was moved to help us make this trip a possibility. We can’t thank you guys enough.”