LARAMIE, Wyo. (Oct. 15, 2019) – Wyoming hits the road for a pair of matches this weekend as it travels to face Utah State at 7 p.m., Thursday before facing Boise State at 2 p.m., Saturday. The Cowgirls are 2-0 on the road during Mountain West play this year and are currently on a three-match winning streak and have won 6-of-8 overall.
The Cowgirls (10-7, 5-1 MW) are coming off a pair of sweeps last week, defeating San Diego State and Fresno State at the UniWyo Sports Complex. Wyoming hit a season-high .389 and had nine service aces in the win over the Aztecs. Against the Bulldogs, the Pokes held FSU to just a .074 hitting percentage and had 13 total blocks. Faith Waitsman recorded a career-high nine total blocks (two solo and seven assisted) against Fresno.
Madi Fields was named the Mountain West's Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in her career for her efforts last week. Fields averaged 3.5 digs per set in the two wins and was part of a defensive effort that held Cowgirl opponents to just a .150 hitting percentage in the two sweeps. Tara Traphagan led the way offensively for the Pokes last week with 23 kills (3.83 per set) and a .396 hitting percentage.
Utah State (2-16, 2-4 MW) is led by Bailey Downing's 106 kills on the year while Haley Cuff is second on the team with 97 kills and is averaging 2.33 kills per set, a mark that ranks third on the team. Heidi Carpenter leads the Aggies with 381 assists while Downing and Corinne Larsen lead the team with 74 and 72 blocks, respectively. As a team, Utah State is averaging 2.49 blocks per set, including 3.20 during league play, which ranks second in the conference.
Janell Walley leads Boise State (12-5, 4-2 MW) with 226 kills (3.65 per set) and a .390 hitting percentage this season. Danielle Boss is averaging a team-best 10.81 assists per set in 2019 and her 11.29 assists per during conference play, leads the Mountain West. Allison Casillas is fifth in the league averaging 3.67 digs per set. The Broncos are second in the MW during league play with a .252 hitting percentage while their 3.21 blocks per set leads the league.
The Cowgirls have won 8-of-9 recently against Utah State and have won four consecutive matches in Logan, dating back to 2015. The Pokes split the season-series in 2018 with Boise State, with each team winning at home. Wyoming has won just twice in Boise.
Both of this week's matches will be streamed live on the Mountain West Digital Network and can be followed via live stats. For links, fans can go to gowyo.com/coverage.
-WYO-
