LARAMIE, Wyo. (Aug. 26, 2017) -- The University of Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team dropped two matches on the final day of the Rumble in the Rockies tournament on Saturday. UW fell to Abilene Christian 3-1 (23-25, 29-27, 21-25, 23-25) in its first match of the day before a five-set (23-18, 20-25, 25-23, 27-29, 9-15) loss to Portland.
"We were able to do some good things this weekend," UW head coach Chad Callihan said. "But there are definitely a few areas we need to improve on. I thought we had a couple of opportunities in set four tonight and just didn't execute, which came back to bite us in set five. We have to get consistent, tougher and make critical plays in critical moments. We'll get back to work, as I believe this team can get better. If we can put the pieces together I know we can do great things."
In the first contest of the day, Tara Traphagan led the Brown and Gold with a career-high 20 kills on a .432 hitting clip. The sophomore was joined by junior Emily Lewis in double-digit kills, as Lewis posted ten for UW in addition to her four service aces. Jackie McBride and Reed Copeland each added seven kills in the loss. McBride tied with Marley Taylor with five total blocks, as Copeland added four. Taylor had a career-match with four kills, nine digs and her five blocks. Madi Fields and Lily Austin were the lone Cowgirls in double-digit digs. Fields led the way with 16 while Austin recorded 11 during the match. Marissa Harmon continued to pace the offensive effort. After 38 assists last night, she tossed out 40 on Saturday afternoon.
Set One:
Wyoming stormed out to a 6-1 lead in the first set before ACU climbed back to tie the set score at ten. UW held a late 22-19 lead before giving up six of the next seven points and dropping the set, 23-25. Traphagan had five kills in the opening set to lead UW. Copeland added three as Harmon recorded 12 assists. Defensively, Fields had five digs for the Brown and Gold.
Set Two:
The second set featured four seperate ties before either team made it to double-digits. Abilene Christian used a 9-3 run to build a significant lead before Wyoming answered with a 10-3 run which forced ACU to call timeout with the set tied at 23. A kill from Lewis ultimately gave UW the set win, 29-27. Traphagan added eight more kills in the second set, but Taylor was the spark for the Cowgirls just before intermission. Coming off the bench, Taylor added three total blocks to help UW even the set score at one before the break.
Set Three:
Three separate times in the third set Abilene Christian held a lead of seven points. The latest, 21-14 came after two-straight kills from ACU and a Cowgirl service error. The Wildcats took the third set by a score of 25-21. The Cowgirls recorded a better hitting percentage than ACU in the third set but three service aces doomed the Cowgirls, as the Wildcats came away with the 25-21 win. Traphagan and Copeland had four and three kills, respectively, while Taylor and Fields each added five digs.
Set Four:
After falling behind 0-2, UW crawled back to tie the score at five. The first lead that UW held was 10-8 before holding leads of 18-16 and 23-21. ACU then went on a 4-0 run to close out the set and take the match 3-1. In the final set of the match, Traphagan, Lewis and Taylor each had a team-best three kills as Harmon notched nine assists. Defensively, Harmon led the squad with four digs as McBride put up two total blocks for the Brown and Gold.
Against Portland, Harmon recorded her first career double-double with 46 assists and 14 digs. Lewis posted the first 20-kill match her junior season as McArdle and McBride each added ten for UW. Fields posted the first 20-dig match of her season in addition to adding five digs against the Pilots. McBride added a career-best eight total blocks as Copeland chipped in seven kills and five blocks. Copeland's fifth kill moved her into sole possession of tenth all-time in Cowgirl History.
Set One:
Lewis recorded the first three kills for UW in the opening set, which helped Wyoming lead 4-2. The Pilots then went on to score the next three points for a 5-4 lead. The set managed to go back and forth until UP managed to break out to a 13-10 advantage. Three straight kills for UW put the Brown and Gold up 16-15. Portland called a timeout down 16-18 before a 6-1 run for UW. In all, Lewis' energy helped Wyoming close out the first set, 25-18. She had seven kills for UW to begin the match.
Set Two:
Three early attacking errors helped Portland get out to a 6-2 lead in the second frame. Portland's rhythm kept the distance from then on as the Pilots seemed to remain in control. Down 16-10, UW called its first timeout and after, Portland never looked back, taking the set 25-20. McBride recorded a team-best four kills in the set two, as Harmon had seven assists, and Fields and Traphagan each had three digs.
Set Three:
The third frame broke out back and forth early before Wyoming called a timeout down two, 5-7. A McBride kill brought the Brown and Gold within one before the Cowgirls took two of the next three to tie it at nine. A block from Copeland and Traphagan gave UW an 11-10 lead. Wyoming's offense made Portland call a timeout as the Cowgirls were up three, 16-13. An ace for McBride tied everything at 19 in what proved to be another tight match. Lewis added another kill to notch it at 21 while a block from Copeland pushed UW ahead. Wyoming took the momentum and the set for a 2-1 lead. Ten kills between McBride, Lewis and Copeland paced the offense in the third set. Harmon dished out ten assists in addition to four digs for the Brown and Gold.
Set Four:
Almost immediately as the set began, two-consecutive attacking errors from Portland gave UW a 6-2 lead, which instigated a timeout. The Pilots crawled back and neither team solidified a big lead until Portland had a 16-13 advantage. Two blocks from the Cowgirl defense closed the gap to one just before a McArdle kill tied it at 18. The two teams had an even score five more times before the fourth set was over. Two kills ended it and gave Portland life ahead of the fifth set. Lewis recorded six kills in the fourth set, while Harmon tossed out 13 assists.
Set Five:
Portland started hot in the fifth set by taking four of the first five points. Back to back kills for Portland made the score 8-3 when the teams switched sides. The Pilots looked comfortable and in control to take the fifth set and Rumble in the Rockies crown, 15-9. The Pilots used a .462 attacking percentage to claim the final frame.
Up Next:
Wyoming will be back in the UniWyo Sports Complex next weekend for the UniWyo Invite. The Cowgirls will welcome Eastern Michigan, Jacksonville and Purdue for the two-day tournament.
