LARAMIE, Wyo. (Aug. 26, 2018) – The Wyoming volleyball team opened the 2018 season this weekend with three impressive wins to take the 2018 Rumble in the Rockies team title. The Cowgirls (3-0) dispatched of No. 15 Colorado in an epic, five set match to follow up a pair of dominant sweeps of Oral Roberts and North Florida.
How They Fared
Cowgirls Handle North Florida, 3-0
In the first match of the weekend, the Cowgirls stormed past the Ospreys in a 3-0 sweep. Senior
Emily Lewis and
Tara Traphagan co-led the Pokes in kills with eight apiece for .412 and .400 hitting percentages, respectively. Cowgirls
Cori Aafedt and
Marissa Harmon both tallied double-digit assists, with Aafedt leading the team with 18 and Harmon tallying 14. Senior
Reed Copeland and junior
Madi Fields held down the Wyoming defense, as Copeland recorded nine total blocks and Fields added 12 digs.
Wyoming Drops Oral Roberts in Second-Straight Sweep
The Cowgirls turned in another dominant effort in Friday's second match, routing Oral Roberts in another sweep. Traphagan led the Cowgirls with nine kills and seven blocks. Once again, setters Aafedt and Harmon racked up double-digit assists with 18 and 16, respectively. Fields anchored the Cowgirls with nine digs, followed closely by McArdle with eight.
Cowgirls Edge 15th-Ranked Buffs in Epic Five-Setter
The Cowgirls outscored the Buffaloes in kills, 69-58, and hit a .279 percentage to Colorado's .263. Senior
Emily Lewis and freshman
KC McMahon led the Cowgirls with 15 kills each, followed closely by
Jackie McBride's 14. Wyoming had two players over 20 assists in
Cori Aafedt (26) and
Marissa Harmon (24), with Aafedt narrowly missing a double-double stacking nine digs on the night. On the defensive end, senior
Reed Copeland recorded six blocks, while libero
Madi Fields added 13 digs.
Notable Performances
Each of Wyoming's three wins featured a balanced effort with multiple notable contributions. Cowgirls
Jackie McBride,
Emily Lewis and
Halie McArdle earned all-tournament recognition for their efforts on the weekend, with McBride named tournament MVP.
Jackie McBride
vs. North Florida – 4K, 11A; 5TB
vs. Oral Roberts – 8K, 8TA (1.000 hit pct); 6TB
vs. Colorado – 14K, 24TA (.417 hit pct); 5TB
Total stats – 26K, 43TA (.442 hit pct); 16TB (1.45 blk/s)
Emily Lewis
vs. North Florida – 8K, 17TA (.412 hit pct); 4TB
vs. Oral Roberts – 5K, 12TA (.333 hit pct); 1TB, 4DG
vs. Colorado – 15K, 31TA (.387 hit pct); 3TB, 3DG
Total stats – 28K, 60TA (.383 hit pct); 8TB, 7DG
Halie McArdle
vs. North Florida – 7K, 15TA (.333 hit pct); 2TB, 5DG
vs. Oral Roberts – 8K, 14TA (.571 hit pct), 1SA; 1TB, 8DG
vs. Colorado – 7K, 27TA, 2ASTS; 1TB, 7DGS
Total stats – 22K, 56TA (.304 hit pct); 4TB, 20DGS
By the Numbers
.330 – Wyoming's team hitting percentage through three matches, which leads the Mountain West.
.108 – The Cowgirls' opponent hitting percentage through three matches, which also leads the Mountain West.
3.45 – Wyoming's average blocks per set, which leads the MW, followed by Colorado State's 2.62 bps.
3 – The number of Cowgirls in the top 10 of the conference in hitting percentage (McBride – 3
rd, .442; McMahon – 5
th, .425; Lewis – 9
th, .383)
1.73 – Senior
Reed Copeland's blocks per set average, which ranks second in the MW.
Social Studies
Up Next
With the first three wins under its belt, Wyoming now turns its attention to next weekend when it will travel to face Portland, LIU Brooklyn and Montana State in tournament action in Portland, Ore. Action at the event begins on Friday.
