LARAMIE, Wyo. (Nov. 10, 2022) – The Wyoming Cowgirls got off to a quick start but couldn't maintain the momentum going forward as Air Force rallied from two sets down to defeat the Cowgirls in five sets Thursday night to begin UW's three-match homestand. Set scores went 25-17, 25-18, 16-25, 23-25 and 7-15.

Both the first and second sets won by the Cowgirls (10-17, 6-9 MW) were close about midway through, before runs of 7-1 in the first and 7-2 in the second set, broke open 12-10 and 13-11 Cowgirl leads, respectively as the Brown & Gold jumped out to an early 2-0 set lead. In the third, it was all Air Force (13-14, 5-10 MW) who then hung on in the fourth set late to force the decisive fifth set. The fifth, much like the third, was all Falcons as they didn't trail at all in the set on the way to the come-from-behind win.

AFA hit .265 for the match while the Cowgirls hit .182. Wyoming hit .423 and .406 in the first and second sets but couldn't maintain the offensive pace. The Falcons also dominated at the net, out-blocking the Cowgirls 11-5 in the contest.

Individually, UW was led by Naya Shimé, who had 16 kills while Rylee Schulz had a career-high 12 kills. KC McMahon also finished in double figures with 10 kills while Tierney Barlow finished with nine but hit an impressive .615 in the loss. Barlow also added a pair of solo blocks on the night while Wyoming was led by Sarah Holcomb's three total rejections.

Kasia Partyka notched 47 assists, added seven digs and was one of five Cowgirls with a service ace against the Falcons. In the back row, Hailey Zuroske led the match with 24 digs while Schulz had nine and Macey Boggs chipped in with a career-best eight off the bench.

Wyoming will look to snap its current four-match skid Saturday as New Mexico comes to Laramie for a 1 p.m., contest. The Cowgirls defeated the Lobos in a five-set thriller in Albuquerque earlier this season.

-WYO-