• Will face 4A Volleyball powers in Cheyenne

Sometimes I am mistaken for a historian, especially when it comes to Star Valley High School sports. This is flattering but probably inaccurate. I try my best is the best way to put it. But to answer a question you might have in your head, no, I don’t know how many years the Lady Braves Volleyball team has played at the Cokeville Invite. But I do know it’s been quite a lot.

That’s why it is notable that for the first time in decades that the team is not sending their varsity team to Panther country to play and instead will be making the long trek across the state to the trio of Cheyenne East, Central and South high schools. Here, they will see the teams that almost always hoist the 4A state championship trophy in November.

“We are all a little exited,” stated head coach Suni Brown. “Not for the bus ride but hopefully seeing these teams now can help us later in the season. Win some and lose some and learn a lot. That’s the goal.”

While Kelly Walsh has sometimes technically been in the 4A West conference in recent years, one has to go clear back to 2009 the last time a truly western Wyoming team won the 4A state title. That was Green River. Before that, the records have to go back to 1993 and a title from Cody.

More recently, Laramie has won three of the last four. Combined with Kelly Walsh, the two programs have won the last seven. Before that, Cheyenne East won four of five.

The Lady Braves will see East and Laramie both on Saturday. Other matches include playing Thunder Basin, South and Sheridan.

“That’s exactly what we want,” Brown added.

It will be a mostly new crop of varsity players who will be tested this weekend.

“We have four seniors who have worked hard to step in and be good leaders,” Brown continued. “We have some younger players as well and doing good things and working hard. I think we’re exited and hopefully they are ready to get back into it.”

Those senior girls include Atlee Button, Austyn Bagley, Jordyn Roberts and Shaylah Frazier.

The team will be laying the foundation of their team philosophy this season on serving and defense.

“We’re really working on serving tough,” Brown said. “We’ve got to get some teams out of system if we want to play good defense against them. Defense is one of our main [areas of focus]. We don’t have the height as some of these other teams so we have to be in position and ready when the ball is hit. We have some good little blockers who are putting up a good wall for us but we are always needing to improve our defense”

On Friday the Lady Braves will face Thunder Basin at 11 a.m. at East High School and then South on their home court before finishing their day against Sheridan.

On Saturday, they will face the Thunderbirds and Plainsmen before piling back into the bus for the 450 mile trek back to the valley.