LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 21, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowgirls stumbled at home Saturday afternoon in the finale of the UniWyo Invite. The Cowgirls were swept by a tough Utah team, 25-19, 25-17 and 25-22. Utah (10-1) controlled much of the match, keeping a healthy distance between it and the Cowgirls until the third set.
The third was the most competitive set of the afternoon, featuring nine ties and three lead changes. However, Utah always had an answer in the set whenever Wyoming would make a run late. The biggest stretch came when the Utes turned a 17-16 deficit, into a 20-18 lead late.
Utah hit .366 on the day while the Cowgirls struggled to get consistent offense going and hit just .143. The Utes also enjoyed an 8-3 advantage in total blocks in the match and had the lone service ace of the day. Both teams were fairly clean at the service line, with UW committing just two serving errors to Utah's six.
Paige Lauterwasser led the way in the loss with 12 kills. Kayla Mazzocca added nine while Emma Winter chipped in with seven. Kasia Partyka had a solid day distributing the ball, ending with 32 assists in the loss. Partyka also led the Cowgirls with 12 digs.
Defensively, Sarah Holcomb had a pair of blocks to lead the team. In the back row, Sierra Grizzle and Skylar Erickson tallied seven and six, respectively. Kendal Rivera chipped in with five.
Saturday closed the book on non-conference play for the Cowgirls. They now shift the focus to Mountain West action beginning this Thursday on the road. Wyoming will face Nevada at 7 p.m., Mountain Time in the league opener before traveling to defending champion Utah State Saturday at 1 p.m.
-WYO-
