LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 22, 2018) – The Wyoming volleyball team picked up its second conference win in as many matches Saturday afternoon, putting away Nevada in a 3-0 sweep at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
 
"We just weren't as crisp as we needed to be," head coach Chad Callihan said. "We keep talking about wanting to be a championship team, and I'm not saying we're not out there trying, but we're not as focused on giving a championship effort in that regard. We're going to have to figure it out, but we were fortunate to get out of here with a win today."
 
The Cowgirls (10-4, 2-0 MW) were led on offense by Halie McArdle, who racked up 11 kills on a .333 hitting percentage. Six Cowgirls recorded four or more kills to combine for a .215 hitting percentage on 42 kills. With 20 assists, setter Cori Aafedt recorded her eighth game of 20 assists or more this season, followed by Marissa Hines who also reached double digits with 13.
 
Senior Reed Copeland was once again impressive defensively for the Pokes, contributing on 11 of the team's 12 blocks, which was the most by a Cowgirl in a three-set match this season. Junior libero Madi Fields was impressive on the defensive end as well, recording 21 digs—her fifth game of 20 digs or more this season.
 
"There are definitely some things we need to work on, but it was good to build our confidence (today and Thursday) because last weekend was pretty rough and a bit of a reality check," Fields said. "It was good for us to grind and get through it, especially because we're not feeling 100 percent."
 
In the opening two sets, Nevada seemed to have a response to everything the Cowgirls threw at them, with the two teams combining for 24 ties and eight lead changes over the first two frames of the match; however Wyoming was able to seize control down the stretch and start out with the early 2-0 lead.
 
"It felt like the whole match was close—whether we were winning or losing, or whether we were tied," McArdle said. "Part of our strategy this year is staying calm no matter what the score is or who is on the other side of the net, and grinding through each point whether it goes our way or their way."
 
The Cowgirls and Wolfpack battled it out in the first set, with Nevada jumping out to a 15-13 lead midway through the opening period. The teams would go back and forth, with ties at 16, 17 and 19 before Wyoming was able to run off four straight to take a 23-19 lead late. Nevada would get as close as 24-23, fighting off a few match points before junior Tara Traphagan was able to put the set away on an assist from Aafedt for the 25-23 edge.
 
The second set was another tight one, as senior Emily Lewis racked up five kills in the frame while Copeland added three blocks to help will the Cowgirls to another 25-23 set victory. Tied at 21 apiece, Wyoming was big once again down the stretch, using kills from Traphagan and Lewis to take the set and put the Wolfpack's backs against the wall.
 
Aside from a 1-all tie to open the set, Wyoming nearly led wire to wire in the third and final frame. The Cowgirls started off hot, stretching their lead to as large as 16-7. Nevada would refuse to go away quietly, however, cutting the UW lead to 24-22 off a 15-8 run before McArdle tallied the match-clinching kill.
 
"The Mountain West is going to be interesting this year," Traphagan said. "Everyone has the ability to challenge everyone every single day, and we didn't play our greatest today, but I was proud of how we grinded through the stretch. We were a little high error, which we want to fix, but it was great to get out there and get a win when it counted."
 
The Cowgirls will head back out on the road next weekend to continue their conference slate, facing Fresno State on Thursday at 8 p.m. before heading to San Diego, Calif., for a showdown with the Aztecs on Saturday at 7 p.m.