LARAMIE, Wyo. (Nov. 9, 2021) – The Wyoming volleyball team completed an epic comeback Tuesday night to beat Border Rival Colorado State in five sets. The Cowgirls rallied from a two sets to none deficit to get the win. After dropping the first two sets 25-22 and 25-21, UW rallied to win the final three, 25-18, 25-23 and 15-9 to complete the comeback. It marks the first time since 2018 against Air Force, that Wyoming has come back to win after dropping the first two sets.
After dropping those first two, the Cowgirls (15-12, 7-8 MW) controlled much of the final three sets. In the third, UW used a 12-5 run in the set to turn a 9-6 deficit into an 18-14 lead. From there, the Cowgirls closed out the third on a 7-4 run.
The fourth set featured 17 ties and five lead changes, but Wyoming gained the advantage late in the set, scoring three of the final four points in the frame, including the final two, on kills from Naya Shimé, to force the deciding fifth.
In the fifth, it was all Cowgirls, as they went on a 6-2 run in the middle of the set, breaking a 6-6 tie to take a 12-8 lead. Jackie McBride, closed things out in style in her final Border War, sending a CSU (16-8, 12-3 MW) over pass into the floor for a tremendous kill.
Both teams ended the night fairly strong on offense, as CSU hit .293 for the match, with the Cowgirls hitting .287. UW had slight edge in the serve game Tuesday, tallying seven aces and eight errors, while Colorado State had six aces and nine serving errors. The Rams ended with a 9-8 advantage in total blocks.
Shimé led all players with 21 kills on the night as she hit an incredible .500 for the match on 36 swings. KC McMahon added 15 kills of her own, while McBride was also in double figures with 10 and hit .474. Faith Waitsman and Teresa Garza added eight and seven, respectively, with Waitsman hitting .438 in her final match against the Rams.
Abby Olsen tallied another double-double on the night, as she led the way with 36 assists and added 11 digs. Olsen also added a pair of digs in the win. Payton Chamberlain had 20 assists in the match.
Erika Jones led the Cowgirls with 14 digs from her libero spot. Hailey Zuroske added 10 and led the way with three service aces. At the net defensively, McMahon led the way with four total blocks, while McBride added three of her own.
Wyoming looks to make it a 2-0 week now as it hosts Fresno State Thursday night at 6:30. It will be Senior Night in Laramie as Kaitlyn Gehler, Olsen, McBride, Kyra Slavik and Waitsman will all be honored prior to the match.
-WYO-
