OPENING SERVE: The Snow College volleyball team is heading to the NJCAA National Tournament for the first time since 2021 as the 12th seed. Their first opponent will be fifth-seeded Barton County Community College Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. MST. 

The Badgers are coming off the Rocky Mountain B District Championship, where they defeated No. 10 Eastern Arizona College 3-2 to secure their spot in the tournament. 

KNOW YOUR FOE: BCCC finished the season with a 31-5 record and a 15-1 conference mark, winning the Region 6 Tournament. 

The Badgers hold a 2-0 all-time record against the Cougars. Their first-ever meeting was in the first round of the 2020 NJCAA National Tournament, where the Badgers won 3-1. They met again the following season at an early-season tournament where the Badgers won 3-1.  

If the Badgers make it past BCCC, they will face either Northeastern Junior College or EAC. The Badgers faced NJC twice earlier this year; they took the first matchup 3-0, but the Plainswomen got their revenge the second time around, 3-0. 

The last time the Badgers played was against EAC in the Rocky Mountain B District Championship, where they won 3-2. The Badgers are 12-4 all-time against the Gila Monsters with a 7-2 neutral site record. 

RECORD AT THE DANCE: Snow College has made it to the National Tournament four times, all happening consecutively from 2018-2021. 

In 2018, the Badgers made the tournament and fell in the first round to Seward County Community College. They bounced back in the lower bracket, defeating Wallace State 3-2 before ending their season against Laramie County Community College 3-1.

The Badgers had a very short stint in the 2019 postseason, as they fell to NJC 3-1 in the first round and to Panola College 3-0 in the first round of the consolation bracket. 

The Badgers made a run to the National Championship game in 2020 as they ran through BCCC 3-1, Florida Southwestern College 3-0, and Tyler College 3-0. Their run would end in the championship game against Iowa Western Community College, 3-1. 

Snow College in 2021 made its way back to the tournament, where they took down NJC in the first round 3-0. The Badgers then took on Butler Community College in the second round and fell 3-0. In the consolation bracket, the Badgers fell to Miami Dade College 3-1 before beating Blinn College 3-0 to finish the tournament in seventh place. 

LAST TIME OUT: The Badgers entered the matchup off the heels of the Region 18 Tournament, where, after defeating No. 16 College of Southern Idaho in the first round, they suffered a 3-1 loss in the championship game.
 
As the runners-up, the Badgers earned the right to play EAC, the Region 1 Champion in the Rocky Mountain B District Championship, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the national tournament. 
 
The Badgers came out strong against the Gila Monsters and took an early 11-8 lead.  They maintained a slim lead until EAC went on an 8-1 run to take a 21-16 lead late in the set. A 5-0 burst from Snow College leveled the match at 21, but EAC scored the final four points to earn the 25-21 win in set one.
 
The Gila Monsters continued the momentum into the second set and took an 8-4 lead. The Badgers would fight back and eventually tie things up at 18, but EAC went on to win seven of the final 10 points to take a commanding lead, 2-0.
 
With their backs against the wall, Snow College responded by taking a 10-4 lead in set three. EAC would cut the deficit to three points midway through the set, but the Badgers used a 5-1 run to take the set 25-18 and stay alive.
 
The Badgers had to rally from an early 6-1 deficit and tied the set at seven. The remainder of the set was truly back and forth as both teams traded points. EAC took a 25-24 lead, needing just one point to secure the win. Snow College won three straight points to force a fifth and final set.
 
With momentum on their side, the Badgers zoomed out to a 7-2 lead in the race to 15 in the fifth set. They were able to extend the lead to 14-6, and Chloe Leslie recorded the final kill to give the Badgers a 15-8 win in set five and the thrilling 3-2 victory.

UP NEXT: The tournament will take place from Wednesday to Saturday. All matches will be streamed through the NJCAA broadcast network, with the National Championship being on ESPN+. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.