LARAMIE, Wyo. (Nov. 8, 2022) – The Wyoming volleyball team begins a three-match homestand this week, their final three home matches of the season, as Air Force and New Mexico comes to town. The Cowgirls and Falcons face-off at 5:30 p.m., Thursday before welcoming the Lobos for a 1 p.m., contest Saturday. UW's Thursday meeting with Air Force was moved up an hour from the normal 6:30 p.m., start time on Thursday's, due to a doubleheader with the Wyoming men's basketball team.
With two weeks left in the regular season, the Cowgirls are in a three-way tie for fifth in the Mountain West standings along with Boise State and Nevada at 6-8. San Diego State, off its win Monday is now a half-match back at 6-9 and New Mexico is 5-9, a match back of the Cowgirls. The top six teams in the league qualify for the Mountain West Tournament Thanksgiving week hosted by Colorado State.
The Cowgirls are coming off a pair of road losses last week, losing in five sets at Nevada before falling in four to San Jose State. Naya Shimé had a team-leading 26 kills during the week while Kasia Partyka had 79 assists. Shimé ranks sixth in the league during conference play averaging 3.53 kills per set this season while Partyka's 10.19 assists per ranks third-best in MW play. Sarah Holcomb led UW with nine total blocks in last week's two matches. Holcomb's block per set this season ranks ninth in the conference during league action.
Tierney Barlow and Hailey Zuroske also continue to rank well in the league rankings as Barlow comes in ranking fifth in the MW hitting .359 on the season. Zuroske, meanwhile, ranks sixth during league play averaging 3.39 digs per set.
Joi Harvey leads Air Force and ranks fourth-best in the league in blocks per set at 1.13 in 2022. Caroline Reinkensmeyer is sixth-best in the Mountain West in assists per set this season, averaging 6.93. Offensively, Harvey also leads the Falcons with 266 kills on the year while Brookelyn Messenger is also at 200-plus kills on the season at 226. AFA is 2-8 overall on the road this season and is still in search of its first conference road victory.
New Mexico boasts one of the top offensive players in the league in Kaitlynn Biassou who enters the week leading the league in both kills per set (3.89) and points per set (4.37). Defensively, the Lobos are paced by Avital Jaloba's 1.33 blocks per set during MW play, a mark that is second-best in the league. In the back row, Alena Moldan is also second in the league in digs at 4.17 per set while Uxue Guereca is ninth at 3.11 per. Setter Anilee Sher's 7.77 assists per set is fifth in the conference.
Wyoming has enjoyed great success at home in program history against both Air Force and New Mexico. UW has posted a 22-2 mark all-time against the Falcons in Laramie. The Cowgirls are 27-13 all-time against UNM at home.
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