Jadyn Lamb is finally getting her trip abroad with the University of Northern Colorado volleyball team.
The Bears, the defending Big Sky Conference Tournament champions, leave this weekend for a 10-day trip to Japan where the team will play matches, do some sightseeing and have a chance for team bonding in preparation for the upcoming season.
Lamb, an assistant coach and director of team operations, is a former UNC player. She played for the Bears from 2017-20, but missed out on an international trip because of COVID-19. UNC volleyball’s trip to Italy and Greece was rescheduled to 2022. Lamb didn’t take the opportunity to go, though head coach Lyndsey Oates extended an invitation to players who missed out.
Under old NCAA rules, college teams could travel abroad for once every four years. The rule has been changed now allowing yearly foreign trips. UNC men’s basketball went to Portugal last summer.
“I am excited,” Lamb said. “I’m more than thrilled to be part of the trip.”
This year, Lamb will be part of a 42-person UNC contingent leaving Greeley early Sunday morning from Denver headed to San Francisco and then to Osaka, Japan. The team is scheduled to play three matches and up to five against college-age teams in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. The group will also visit Moriya, Greeley’s sister city, before returning home June 24.
Lamb said outside of the matches volleyball won’t be a focus of the trip. The team isn’t scheduled to practice between matches. The matches are scheduled for June 16-17 and June 23.
“The sightseeing will be the priority,” Lamb said. “At the end of the day, we want to make sure to enjoy it and have fun.”
Joining the players and coaches on the trip are UNC support staff and administration, including athletic trainer Maddie Ford, director of sports performance for Olympic sports Payne Kesler and senior associate athletic director Rachel Walton. Family members and donors will also join along.
The program paid for the trip through donations and fundraising, Lamb said. The team held a silent auction last fall. UNC worked with Bring It Promotions, a volleyball travel agency, to plan out the trip.
“It’s a big event,” Lamb said of the silent auction. “Our support system is great. We thank your donors who’ve given to make it possible. The work behind it is a lot, but it’s worth it in the end.”
PHOTOS: UNC volleyball sweep Idaho State to win Big Sky tournament
UNC won its eighth Big Sky tournament title under Oates last November on their home court at Bank of Colorado Arena, beating Idaho State in straight sets. The Big Sky tournament championship led to the Bears’ eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in Oates’ 21 years as head coach.
Northern Colorado Bears head coach Lyndsey Oates says some words of encouragement as she throws up a ball in a drill during a UNC volleyball spring practice at the Bank of Colorado Arena on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
The postseason run capped a 2025 season that began with a 3-10 record during a challenging nonconference schedule.
A foreign trip allows teams 10 practices in advance. UNC could then bring in the new players and begin training and practicing when other teams and programs aren’t logging as many hours.
Lamb said another benefit is for the athletes to see new places and cultures. The trip is a part of their education. Few experiences are better for learning than travel to unfamiliar locations, she said.
Four days after returning home from Japan, the team will again host the Greeley Stampede Volleyball 4-on-4 Tournament at Island Grove Regional Park. The tournament is scheduled for noon Sunday, June 28 south of Aven’s Village Playground. This is the second year of the tournament.
UNC opens its 2026 season with two home matches. The Bears host the University of Wyoming on Friday, Aug. 21 and the University of California Davis on Saturday, Aug. 29. Both matches begin at 6 p.m. at Bank of Colorado Arena.
The nonconference schedule includes matches at Colorado State (Sept. 1), against New Mexico, Wichita State and the University of Colorado on Sept. 4-6 at the Colorado Classic in Boulder and at Middle Tennessee for three matches Sept. 11-12.
Northern Colorado Bears defensive specialist Bella LePore gets under the ball during a drill at a UNC volleyball spring practice at the Bank of Colorado Arena on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
The following weekend, UNC hosts Air Force, Denver and the University of Utah for its invitational Sept. 17-19 before beginning Big Sky play Thursday, Sept. 24 at home against Montana.
Season tickets are available for the team’s 14 home matches this fall. Prices begin at $100 for general admission and are available at tickets.unco.edu.
AloJapan.com