LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 21, 2017) – Trailing 2-1 to UNLV entering the fourth set, the University of Wyoming volleyball team rallied to win the final two sets to begin Mountain West play on Thursday night. Redshirt freshman Jackie McBride and sophomore Tara Traphagan led the UW (6-7, 1-0 MW) attack over the Rebels (4-9, 0-1 MW) inside the UniWyo Sports Complex.
 
"We came out in the first set with a 25-13 win, which was a great way to set the tone," UW head coach Chad Callihan said. "But we then go high error in the second set and give one away. We are a young team trying to learn how to play consistently. We know there will be nights were we don't have our best game, but we can still find ways to grit out a win. I think we found a way tonight, and were able to make a couple plays down the stretch. With the exception of a couple of errors in the fifth set, I thought we played good volleyball to close the match."
 
McBride posted a career-high 13 kills and five total blocks for the Brown and Gold. Traphagan added 15 kills and was one away from tying her career-best in blocks with eight. Freshman Marissa Harmon recorded her team-leading third double-double of the season against UNLV with 41 assists and ten digs. Along with senior Emily Lewis, Harmon recorded seven kills during the match.
 
For the 13th time this season, sophomore Madi Fields topped Wyoming with 17 digs. She also added six assists, as senior Lily Austin added 11 digs for UW. Sophomore Halie McArdle chipped in 13 digs and was one kill from her first career double-double. It was also the third-straight match McArdle has posted double-digit digs.
 
Sophomore Reed Copeland added a season-high nine total blocks for the Cowgirls on Thursday night. She also recorded eight kills, as senior Marley Taylor had four kills to help complete the comeback. Redshirt sophomore Cori Aafedt dished out nine assists, in addition to three digs, while senior Shelby Johnson added four digs, and freshman Faith Waitsman had two kills and a dig for the Brown and Gold.
 
Set One
Wyoming didn't seem to have any trouble with UNLV during the opening set. UW jumped out to a 9-3 lead before UNLV called timeout. Wyoming would go on a 16-4 run to take the set, 25-13. Using a .407 attacking percentage, six Cowgirls had at least one kill to begin the match. Traphagan led the way with six. Harmon had ten assists, as Copeland added three blocks.
 
Set Two
The second set was quite different from the first, as Wyoming hit .085 with nine errors. The Rebels took the set, 25-18, to even the set score at intermission. Traphagan and Copeland each had four kills in the second frame, while Fields had seven digs.
 
Set Three
UNLV used an early 4-0 run to take a 7-3 lead before Wyoming called timeout. The Rebels remained in control throughout the set, and won 25-20 for a 2-1 set lead. McBride had a team-best four kills in the third stanza. Harmon added ten assists and three digs for UW.
 
Set Four
The Cowgirls held UNLV to a .077 hitting clip in set four. Behind five kills from McBride, three from Lewis and two each from Harmon and Copeland, Wyoming took the fourth set in extras, 26-24. In what was a back and forth set, Wyoming outlasted 12 separate scoring ties for the set win.
 
Set Five
Taylor opened the final frame with a kill to give UW the early lead. The Cowgirls seemed in control until UNLV tied the set at ten. The Cowgirls held the first set point, 14-12, and after a Rebel kill and a Cowgirl timeout, UW took the set 15-13 off a McArdle kill. Harmon, Traphagan, McArdle and Taylor each contributed two kills in the fifth set.  
 
Up Next
With now a three-match winning streak, the Cowgirls will look to stay lit as they welcome New Mexico on Saturday for another banger. First serve is set for 1 p.m. MT and fans that show their Wyoming football vs. Hawai'i ticket will receive $5 admission to the match.
 
"New Mexico is a little more experienced and have a few nice wins so far this season," Callihan added. "They are 8-4 coming into tonight so they know how to win and will be competitive. I do think we matchup with them and as long as we cut down on the errors and it will be a really good match."
 
 
Quick Notes
-Thursday's win is the third-straight conference opening victory for the Cowgirls. UW defeated Boise State and San Jose State at home in 2015 and 2016, respectively. It was also the sixth win out of the last seven matches against UNLV.
-Callihan now has 91 wins while head coach at Wyoming. The only former Cowgirl coach that has more wins at UW than Callihan is Hall of Fame coach Mike English, with 124 career wins.
-Fields set a career-high last weekend with 30 digs against Oral Roberts. With her 17 digs against UNLV, she has led the team in every match this season.
-Copeland and McBride are each within the top-ten in the conference in blocks. Together the two had 14 tonight against the Lobos.