LARAMIE, Wyo. (March 30, 2021) – The Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team closes out its spring 2021 season with a pair of matches this week as the Cowgirls travel to face conference-champion UNLV Thursday night at 7:30 Mountain Time and will host San Jose State at 1 p.m., Saturday to close the season.
Wyoming (8-4) has not played since March 13 at Fresno State, as each of its last two matches were canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests within the Nevada and Air Force programs. The Cowgirls split its two matches at Fresno State the last time out, losing a tough-fought five-setter March 12 before bouncing back for a four-set victory in the March 13 match.
In the two matches against the Bulldogs, KC McMahon led the Cowgirls in both, tallying a season-high 19 kills in each. McMahon hit .417 for the weekend, averaging 4.22 kills and 4.67 points per set against the Bulldogs while at the net, Jackie McBride tallied 11 total blocks, averaging 1.22 blocks per set. Hailey Zuroske notched her second double-double of the season, as she had a career-high 13 kills to go along with 12 digs in the first match against Fresno.
In the back row, Erika Jones led UW with 42 total digs (4.67 per set) and had a career-best 24 in the March 12 loss. For her efforts, Jones was named the Mountain West's Defensive Player of the Week on March 15. It was the first weekly honor of Jones' career and the second time (Kaitlyn Gehler) that a Cowgirl has been named the defensive player of the week in the league.
McBride ranks third in the Mountain West in both hitting percentage (.371) and blocks per set (1.26), while also ranking 10th in the league in points per set with 3.45. Faith Waitsman joins McBride in the top-10 in the conference blocks per set, coming in at ninth averaging 1.05 per. Abby Olsen is seventh in the league averaging over seven assists per set.
As a team, the Cowgirls are second in both blocks per set (2.70) and hitting percentage (.236), while holding their opponents to a .182 hitting percentage, a mark that ranks fourth-best in the league. UW is 5-1 at home this spring and is 32-6 (.842) in the UniWyo since 2018.
UNLV, who has already clinched the Mountain West regular season title, is led by Mariena Hayden, who leads the league averaging 4.1 kills per set, 5.3 points and 0.95 service aces per. Hayden also ranks ninth in the MW with a .339 hitting percentage, while teammates Macy Smith (1st, .416) and Kate Brennan (4th, .371) also rank in the top-10 in the league in hitting. In the back row, Shelby Capllonch and Paris Oliveira average 3.59 digs per set each, which ranks eighth in the Mountain West.
The Rebels lead the conference in seven different statistical categories, including hitting percentage (.304), assists (13.1), kills (14.4), opponent blocks (1.42), service aces (2.03), opponent aces (0.8) and digs (14.9).
San Jose State is led by Haylee Nelson and Latahevai Lousi, who rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the league in kills per set at 3.71 and 3.4, respectively. Allyson Alden ranks fifth in the league with a .361 hitting percentage. Mia Schafer is fourth in the MW averaging 8.24 assists per set.
The Spartans are second in the league at 1.82 aces per set, is third in assists (11.9), fourth in kills (12.8) and fifth in hitting percentage (.225) and digs (14.3).
-WYO-
