Thirteen teams from five states including two teams ranked in the NJCAA national volleyball poll will be in the Wyobraska area Thursday through Saturday when Western Nebraska Community College and Eastern Wyoming College get set to host the Wyobraska Invite, a tournament that has been around since the early 2000s.

                WNCC, 6-8, and EWC, 4-10, will open the tournament with matches on Thursday. WNCC will play a total of five matches in the three days.

                The Cougars, who have played in two competitive tournaments the past two weekends in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Sterling, Colorado, will open the invite at 6 p.m. on Thursday against Missouri State-West Plains, out of West Plains, Missouri, which is located near the Arkansas border. The other match on Thursday at Cougar Palace at 4 p.m. will be Gillette College against Western Wyoming Community College.

                After two games on Thursday, action heats up on Friday with six matches beginning at 9 a.m. and five on Saturday, also beginning at 9 a.m.

                WNCC will play twice on Friday when they face No. 20 Laramie County Community College at 1 p.m. followed by Central Wyoming College at 7 p.m.

                The other matches at WNCC's Cougar Palace on Friday will have LCCC taking on Iowa Western at 9 a.m., No. 6 Northeastern Junior College facing Western Wyoming at 11 a.m., NJC facing Central Wyoming at 3 p.m., and Iowa Western meeting Western Wyoming at 5 p.m.

                Saturday's action at The Palace will see the Cougars taking on Iowa Western at 11 a.m. and then Gillette College at 5 p.m. Other matches on Saturday include Missouri State-West Plains taking on Central Wyoming at 9 a.m., LCCC facing MSU-West Plains at 1 p.m., and Iowa Western facing Central Wyoming at 5 p.m.

                Action at Torrington, Wyoming, in the tournament on Friday and Saturday will see some competitive contests. The Lancers will face MSU-West Plains at 1 p.m. on Friday and then Trinidad State College at 7 p.m. The other matches across the border will have Casper facing MSU-West Plains at 9 a.m., Colorado Northwestern meeting Lake Region at 11 a.m., Trinidad taking on Gillette at 3 p.m., and Lake Region facing Casper at 5 p.m.

                Saturday's contests begin at 9 a.m. when Colorado Northwestern takes on Gillette followed by EWC facing Lake Region at 11 a.m. Casper will battle Trinidad at 1 p.m. followed by Lake Region meeting Western Wyoming at 3 p.m. and Casper taking on Colorado Northwestern at 5 p.m.