LARAMIE, Wyo. (Oct. 15, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team opens a three-match road swing this weekend with a trip out west to face UNLV and San Diego State. The Cowgirls and Lady Rebels play at 7:30 p.m., Mountain Time Thursday before traveling to face the Aztecs at 1 p.m., Saturday.
Wyoming (10-6, 2-4 MW) is coming off a 1-1 split last week. The Cowgirls lost in four sets at Colorado State Tuesday before responding with a thrilling comeback win over Boise State Saturday inside the Arena-Auditorium. Paige Lauterwasser recorded a double-double in the win over the Broncos, tallying 19 kills and a career-high 14 digs. Sarah Holcomb and Kayla Mazzocca led UW defensively with seven blocks each while Sierra Grizzle also tallied a career-high as she notched 35 digs in the match.
For her efforts, Grizzle was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week Monday after she averaged 6.11 digs per set last week. It's the third time this season that Grizzle has been named the Mountain West player of the week. Grizzle took home the honors the first two weeks of the 2024 season.
On the season, Holcomb and Mazzocca rank second and third, respectively in the league in blocks per set. Holcomb's 1.30 per set is 42nd in the country while Mazzocca's 1.29 ranks 47th. As far as total blocks this season, Holcomb and Mazzocca rank 25th and 30th, respectively in the country. As a team, Wyoming's 178 total blocks is 22nd in the nation. Grizzle's 4.18 digs per set leads the Mountain West.
Offensively, Lauterwasser is fifth in league-only matches this season in kills (3.92) and points (4.13) per set. In all matches, Lauterwasser is eighth in both kills (3.50) and points (3.83) per. Kasia Partyka is third in the league averaging 9.68 assists per set.
UNLV has featured a balanced offensive attack this season with five student-athletes recording 100-or-more kills in 2024. Jordyn Freeman leads the league in blocks per set with 1.37 per. Freeman's .384 hitting percentage ranks fourth-best in the MW. The Lady Rebels deploy two setters and are led by Arien Fafard's 341 (5.25 per set). UNLV is 6-2 at home this season.
San Diego State's Shea Rubright leads the conference with a .483 hitting percentage. All-MW performer Taylor Underwood is 10th in the league averaging 3.15 kills and 3.50 points per set. The Aztecs have a pair of setters in their lineup and rank eighth (Sarena Gonzalez, 6.03) and 10th (Fatimah Hall, 5.25), respectively in assists per set. SDSU ranks first in the league in assists (12.80) and kills per set (13.58) and is second in hitting percentage at 2.76 as a squad.
-WYO-
