RANGELY, Colo. (October 16, 2019) - Hosting a nationally-ranked foe is something the Colorado Northwestern Community College volleyball team is well-accustomed to playing in the Scenic West Athletic Conference but rarely do the Lady Spartans host a nationally-ranked foe and a defending national champion.

CNCC will do just that this week as the team hosts No. 8 Salt Lake Community College on Thursday on '90's Night' and defending NJCAA champion Southern Idaho on Saturday. The match marks the beginning of the second-half of Scenic West play, with just two weeks left in the regular season after this upcoming weekend.

Lady Spartans coach Ashley Moore said her team is excited to play two notable programs like Salt Lake and Southern Idaho.

"After coming off a three-match week, we are focused on taking care of our bodies and gearing up for the second round of conference," she said. "We feel pretty good about the matchups we have with SLCC and CSI, and we are looking forward to honoring our sophomores in their last competitions on their home court."

Salt Lake is off to another splendid start in the 2019 season, having been nationally-ranked for most of the year. The Bruins are 21-6 overall and are 4-1 in league play, putting them in second behind leader Snow College. After winning the national title in 2018, Southern Idaho has faced an inconsistent year in 2019 with a current overall record of 11-11 and 2-3 in the Scenic West. 

Thursday's match against Salt Lake is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. start inside Hefley Gym. Saturday's match against Southern Idaho will be significant for two reasons: 1) it is the final home match of the season for CNCC, and 2) it will be the program's annual 'Sophomore Day'. The Saturday match is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.