LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Oct. 21, 2021) – The Wyoming volleyball team lost an absolute battle Thursday night on the road as the Cowgirls came up just short of knocking off defending league champion UNLV. Wyoming ran out of steam down the stretch of the contest, losing in five hard-fought sets, 25-20, 16-25, 25-23, 21-25 and 5-15.
Wyoming (12-9, 4-5 MW) played well offensively in the loss, which snapped a four-match winning streak, as it hit .331 in the loss. However, UNLV was even more efficient on offense, posting a hitting percentage of .434 on the night.
Naya Shimé led three Cowgirls in double-figure kills with 16 in the loss. Jackie McBride and KC McMahon were extremely efficient offensively, posting kills of 13 and 12, respectively. McBride hit .600 in the match while McMahon hit at a .455 clip. McBride also led UW with a pair of service aces against the Lady Rebels, while McMahon's two total blocks were a team-best.
UNLV (15-5, 6-3 MW) out-blocked the Cowgirls in the contest, 7-3 and also had nine serving aces to Wyoming's four. Both teams had a bundle of service errors, with UW having 13 service errors to UNLV's 17.
In the back row, Erika Jones led the Cowgirl defense with a match-best 15 digs. Hailey Zuroske was also in double figures in digs as she just missed out on a double-double, posting 10 digs to go along with eight kills in the loss. Abby Olsen tallied a match-high 37 assists, seven digs and an ace.
The Cowgirls now look to rebound and get back to another winning streak as they host San Diego State Saturday at 6:30 p.m., inside the UniWyo Sports Complex. UW Athletics will once again be offering a discounted ticket promotion to fans attending both the Wyoming volleyball match and football game. Fans who show their football ticket at Saturday night's match against the Aztecs can get in for just $5.
-WYO-
