Entering the program's 46^th season, the Cowley College volleyball team has been picked to repeat as conference champions during the 2022 season. The Lady Tigers ranked second in the national preseason poll, and were picked just ahead of Johnson County in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division.

The Lady Tigers are coming off a record-breaking 2021 season that resulted in an NJCAA Division II national runner-up finish, a Plains District Championship, a KJCCC championship, a 41-1 overall record with a 10-0 conference record, and a 41-match winning streak while losing only six sets all season. Now, Cowley head coach Steven Gream will enter his seventh season, leading his Lady Tigers as they work to continue the success of the program.

"We had an amazing season in 2021, with us coming so close to a national championship," Gream stated. "The season was filled with great moments, records being broken, championships, a 41-match win streak, and more. Only losing six sets all season is a feat that rarely happens, and it was a testament of the hard work our players put in each day. Playing a tough schedule against nationally ranked NJCAA opponents and our always tough KJCCC conference prepared us and made us better each day. We look for this to be the same as we prepare for the new season."

Looking over the 2022 roster, fans will notice that there are some new names that will be counted on to produce for the Lady Tigers in the new season. The Lady Tigers lost seven players from the 2021 season and are returning 10 players. The returning players will be looked upon to guide the new players as they transition into the Cowley volleyball program. The new players will be expected to help carry on the success and progress that the program has enjoyed in its 45-year history.

"We did lose some key contributors from last year, Gream said." But I really feel that we have the pieces in place for another successful season and great depth in place to have a lot of talent at every position." Gream added, "We expect this team, like the Cowley teams in the past, to practice hard, train hard, compete at a high level, and work to improve every day. We believe we have brought in a very talented freshmen class that is not only proficient in their volleyball skills but has much experience. Players who were on championship teams and players who were on national teams. We feel that this freshman class will help us to build on our success, continue to play at a high level, and compete well in both the KJCCC and NJCAA."

The Lady Tigers will play a total of 39 regular season matches. They open their season on August 18 at W.S. Scott Auditorium in a tri-match against Seminole State and the Southwestern College JV. Following the tri-match, the team will travel to Leesburg, Florida, to play against Freed Hardeman University JV and in the Lake Sumter State Invitational tournament.

Upon the return from Florida, the team will begin conference play with various matches, tournaments, and tri-matches with non-conference programs throughout the season. The team will play eight teams in the NJCAA pre-season top 20 and seven teams that were at the 2021 NJCAA national tournament.

Regarding the schedule, Gream had this to say: "With our season schedule, we always want to put together a schedule that has a nice balance of challenging teams to prepare us for KJCCC play but also allow us to prepare for a run at the NJCAA national tournament by playing nationally ranked opponents."

With the right balance of experienced returners and talented newcomers, the Lady Tigers look to pick up where they left off in 2021 and compete in the very competitive Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. They will look to continue to improve as they get accustomed to the college game.

Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division 2022 Predicted Order of Finish: (1) Cowley; (2) Johnson County; (3) Kansas City; (4) Neosho; (5) Allen; (6) Coffeyville; (7) Fort Scott; (8) Independence; (9) Labette; (10) Hesston.