PHOENIX, Ariz. (Sept. 3, 2022) – The Wyoming Cowgirls picked up their first win off 2022 in the first match of day two at the Grand Canyon Classic on Saturday. Wyoming swept Idaho before losing to GCU to close the tournament.
The day began with the Cowgirls picking up their first victory of the season, sweeping Idaho in impressive fashion, 25-21, 25-13 and 25-14. Wyoming (1-5) hit a season-high .284 as a team in the victory while holding the Vandals to just a .105 clip. The Cowgirls also continued their strong weekend at the service line in the win, tallying a season-best 15 aces while Idaho had just five. UW also held a 7-4 edge in team blocks.
The Cowgirls were well-balanced in the sweep, led by Naya Shimé's seven kills with Corin Carruth adding six. Four other Cowgirls, Lydeke King, Kayla Mazzocca, KC McMahon and Kasia Partyka all added five kills apiece against Idaho. Partyka also paced the team with 25 assists in the morning and added six digs. Serving wise, Shimé and Hailey Zuroske each had four aces each, with Carruth adding three. At the net, Mazzocca led the team with four total blocks.
In the nightcap, against host-Grand Canyon, UW fought hard for three sets before running out of steam in the fourth, ultimately falling to the Lopes, 21-25, 21-25, 25-21 and 10-25.
Shimé led the Cowgirls in the loss with a season-best 15 kills while Carruth and McMahon added nine kills each. Defensively, Hailey Zuroske tallied a season-high 24 digs and also had an ace. Teresa Garza led the way with four aces in the loss. At the net, King and Mazzocca each had a solo block.
For the match, GCU hit .276 as a team while the Cowgirls hit .176. The Lopes (4-1) also had a 7-2 advantage in blocks with UW having a slim 8-7 margin in the serving department with aces.
Wyoming will head back on the road next week as it travels East for the Winthrop Tournament. The Cowgirls will face Delaware and Davidson September 9 before closing against the host-Eagles Sept. 10.
-WYO-
