ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Wyoming volleyball stayed hot with its sixth straight win on Thursday evening, defeating New Mexico on the road in four sets (25-17, 25-27, 25-23, 25-18). Sophomore outside hitter Tara Traphagan paced the offensive effort for the Cowgirls (12-9, 7-2 MW) with a match-high and career-high 21 kills.
 
Wyoming's offensive attack was solid across the board, as three Pokes posted double-digit kills while the Brown and Gold hit at a solid .320 clip during the match. Sophomore Halie McArdle recorded 15 kills while junior Emily Lewis posted 11 of her own as freshman Marissa Harmon orchestrated the offensive attack with 54 assists. It was Harmon's second career match with over 50 assists, while Traphagan's 21 kills surpassed a previous career-best of 20 versus Abilene Christian earlier this season.
 
Redshirt freshman middle blocker Jackie McBride served as Wyoming's key cog on defense, tying a career-high with eight blocks while contributing six kills. Fellow middle blocker Reed Copeland chipped in eight kills, while she joined Traphagan, McArdle and McBride as the four Cowgirls to post at least three blocks during the match. Senior Lily Austin was one of three Cowgirls with double-digit digs, leading the team with 16 while Harmon and sophomore Madi Fields each posted 10 on the night.
 
Wyoming stymied New Mexico (11-11, 3-6 MW) with 10 service aces during the match, avenging a three-set home loss to the Lobos on Sept. 23. New Mexico fell to 4-4 on the season at the Johnson Center, while Wyoming improved to 5-1 on the road. The Cowgirls maintained a perfect record in Mountain West road games as they are 4-0 in such matches this season.  
 
Set One
Wyoming jumped out to a quick 9-4 lead thanks to three early kills from Tara Traphagan. After two points from the Lobos, the Pokes went on a 6-2 run sparked by Emily Lewis' two kills to double up New Mexico, 16-8. The eight-point lead proved to be Wyoming's biggest of the set, as the two teams traded points until Marissa Harmon closed the set with two consecutive service aces to give Wyoming the 25-17 victory.
 
Set Two
Traphagan provided early energy for Wyoming again in the second set, helping the Pokes to a 3-1 lead with two more quick kills. New Mexico then went on a 7-2 run to open a three-point lead at 8-5, which they maintained until a 4-1 Wyoming run evened the set at 17. From there, a game of runs unfolded. New Mexico earned three consecutive points to regain the lead 20-17, but the Pokes unleashed a six-point run highlighted by three Madi Fields service aces to go up 23-20. Wyoming halted a subsequent three-point New Mexico run with a kill from Halie McArdle to go up 24-23, but the Lobos earned four of the next five points to take the second set 27-25.
 
Set Three
The teams traded blows until New Mexico opened up a 13-10 lead, the biggest advantage for either team to that point. Wyoming evened things up at 14 after a kill and a block from Reed Copeland. The teams again fought back and forth, arriving at a 20-20 deadlock before Wyoming took control on the strength of two Halie McArdle kills to take the third set 25-23. Traphagan led the Cowgirls with seven kills in the third set.
 
Set Four
Traphagan's 18^th kill of the match started things off for the Brown and Gold, who jumped out to a 5-0 advantage thanks to three failed New Mexico attacks. The Cowgirls never looked back, leading by as many as nine points on their way to an easy fourth set victory, 25-18. Halie McArdle sparked the Cowgirls with five kills in the final frame.  
 
Up Next
Wyoming heads to UNLV for another road matchup, facing the Rebels at 1 p.m. MT on Saturday.