What to watch at DII women's volleyball's Colorado Premier Challenge

Outside of the wonderful world of championship season, three DII sporting events stand out from the rest. One is the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, now the opening weekend of the DII men's basketball season that pits many nationally ranked teams against each other in two days of intense hoops. Another is the Maui Invitational, especially when Chaminade pulls off the doozy of an upset. And yet another is coming up this weekend in Denver. That’s where 11 nationally ranked volleyball teams will clash in yet another rendition of the Colorado Premier Challenge.

Before the elite DII women’s volleyball event gets started, let’s take a look at the event itself and how stacked the field is once again.

What is the Colorado Premier Challenge?

MSU Denver Athletics

The Colorado Premier Challenge is exactly that: A challenging gauntlet of premier DII women’s volleyball teams that go head-to-head in Denver. MSU Denver and Regis serve as the hosts, a 12-minute drive apart through downtown Denver.

BYU-Hawaii and Central Missouri were the first co-champions of the event in 1996, sweeping through their respective brackets with four wins apiece. BYU-Hawaii’s Becky Laubach was the first-ever MVP of the event. That 1996 finish was the first and only time that co-champions were crowned. The other outlier was in 2014 when no champion was named due to a four-way tie at the top. The Colorado Premier Challenge has been played every year since 1996, minus the 2020 season interrupted by COVID-19.

As co-hosts, Regis and MSU Denver have the most appearances of any program with 28. Absent from the 2025 field is Central Missouri, which has the second-most appearances with 25. Concordia-St. Paul has been there 18 times and has more Colorado Premier Challenge titles than any other program with eight. The defending champions, West Texas A&M, have made 17 appearances, and last year’s championship gave the Buffs their third all time.

The Premier field of 12

Concordia-St. Paul Athletics

Once again, the Colorado Premier Challenge is a who’s who of DII women’s volleyball. Eight of the teams were ranked in the AVCA preseason top 25, while three more received votes. The only team not receiving a vote in the preseason that is in the tournament is Regis, which missed the DII women’s volleyball championship for just the second time in 10 years last season. The Rangers are off to a rough 0-4 start, and it doesn’t get any easier this weekend.

Preseason No. 2 Angelo State will be in Denver fresh off a national semifinals appearance last year. The Rambelles are off to a 4-0 start in 2025 and are looking for their first Challenge title in their ninth appearance. Preseason No. 18 Bentley is another returning national semifinalist in the field. It is the Falcons' debut in the Colorado Premier Challenge, and they come in hot with a 3-1 start to the season at the St. Michael's Windjammer Classic. Preseason No. 5 Ferris State, another national quarterfinalist a year ago, is also heading to Denver with a 3-1 record to start the season. The Bulldogs were the 2015 winners of the Challenge. 

West Texas A&M, which came in at No. 8 in the preseason, welcomes Bentley to the Challenge. The defending Challenge champs swept through their BritKare Lady Buff Classic, losing just one set in a 4-0 weekend. Emma Becker — one of the preseason players to watch — is off to a hot start with points already. One of the weekend's hosts — preseason No. 6 MSU Denver — spent opening weekend in sunny Daytona Beach, Fla., sweeping its way through the Embry Riddle Tournament. The Roadrunners last won in 2021, with an additional Challenge title in 2003.

You can't have something called "Premier" in DII women's volleyball without the premier team of the 21st century. Concordia-St. Paul — which was No. 13 this preseason — has more DII women's volleyball titles than any other program with nine — all of which have come since 2007. The Golden Bears are looking to add to their Challenge lore with yet another title, lasting winning this tournament in 2023. 

Point Loma (No. 16) and Wayne State (Neb.) (No. 21 this preseason) round out the nationally ranked teams in Denver this coming weekend. Point Loma is making its debut in this tournament, coming off a historic season in 2024 where the Sea Lions picked up their first-ever DII tournament victory. They enter the weekend sitting at 2-1. Wayne State is making its sixth trip to Denver, having won the Challenge twice already, most recently in 2022. The Wildcats were pummeling their way through the Trevecca Nazarene/Ray Thrasher Classic with three straight sweeps until they fell to the tournament hosts on the final day.

West Florida, Missouri Western and Lewis all head to Denver having received votes in the preseason poll. The Argos went 3-1 in their own SpringHill Suites Invitational opening-weekend tournament and are coming off a 2024 in which they set the GSC record by going 22-0 in conference play. MoWest, which made its first DII tournament appearance since 2017 last year, comes in at 4-0 and is in its second appearance at the Challenge in program history. Lewis is no stranger to Denver or the NCAA tournaments, making both quite regularly. The Flyers come in at 3-1 and are making their 13th appearance. 

The challenging schedule

You can keep up with the tournament beginning on Friday, Sept. 12 at .

Below is the schedule of matches for Day 1, with a look ahead to Day 2 as well. All times are Eastern.

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SEPTEMBER 13