LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 16, 2025) – The Wyoming Cowgirls return home for their second tournament they will host in 2025. UW welcomes in Long Beach State, Idaho State and Portland September 18-20, respectively.
The Cowgirls (3-5) host Long Beach State and Idaho State Sept. 18 and 19, both matches begin at 6:30 p.m. Wyoming closes things against Portland at 1 p.m., Saturday. UW is coming off a 1-2 week at the Fight in the Fort Tournament hosted by TCU. The Cowgirls dropped a pair of contests to ranked foes in then-No. 24 Missouri and then-No. 15 and currently No. 9 ranked TCU. Wyoming closed things in Fort Worth with a sweep over Rhode Island.
Skylar Erickson and Paige Lauterwasser were named to the all-tournament team at TCU. Erickson averaged 3.6 digs and 1.3 assists per set in the three matches and also recorded a service ace. Lauterwasser, meanwhile, averaged 3.7 kills and 4.0 points per set at the tourney. Lauterwasser had a pair double-digit kills performances on the week, hit .533 in the win over URI and had a double-double against Mizzou. Evelyn Udezue recorded seven aces against Rhode Island, tying the program record for aces in a three-set match.
Through the first three weeks of the season, Lauterwasser has a team-high 83 kills and 93.5 points. Sarah Holcomb, who is second on the team with 66 kills, leads the Cowgirls and ranks fifth in the Mountain West averaging 1.25 blocks per set. Erickson's 3.43 digs per set are seventh in the league.
Wyoming will also unveil a brand new Taraflex court in the UniWyo this week. Taraflex, who is the exclusive partner for major sports events worldwide, has been the suppler of the Olympic Games courts since 1976. Taraflex's shock absorption minimizes impact force on the body, reducing the risk of long-term injury.
Long Beach State is 4-4 on the season and 2-0 in true road matches in 2025. Offensively, The Beach is hitting .236 as a team and averaging 13.1 kills per set. On defense, LBSU is averaging nearly 2.50 blocks per set and are led by Nieko Thomas' 1.21 a set. Logan King has a team-high 104 kills and is hitting .274 on the year. At setter, Long Beach is led by Madi Maxwell's 8.76 assists per set. In the back, The Beach is balanced with their passing, as Anna Jelinek and Maxwell lead the squad averaging 2.59 per set. Elise Agi is averaging 2.11 per.
Idaho State is 0-3 on the road this season and is hitting just .167 as a team. However, the Bengals have held their opponents to just a .170 hitting percentage and is top-25 in the country averaging 2.77 blocks per set. ISU is led by a trio of attackers as Jaydin Watts has a team-best 65 kills. Marci Bell has 60 on the season and Ava Brickner is at 59 but leads the team averaging 2.36 kills per set. Nora Waddoups is one of three setters Idaho State has used this year as she leads the team averaging 6.40 assists per set. At the service line, the Bengals are averaging 1.43 aces a set, but are allowing 1.71 per. Wyoming defeated Idaho State in four sets last season in Laramie in the first round of the 2024 NIVC.
Portland enters this week at 5-3 overall with a 1-3 mark on the road. The Pilots' Elin Larsson leads the way with 98 kills in 2025 and is averaging 3.60 points per set. Maui Robins and Lucia Busso have 88 and 82 kills, respectively on the year. Havannah Hoeft leads Portland averaging 9.28 assists per set. As a team, the Pilots are averaging over 13 digs per set and average two service aces per. Defensively, Tinoa Woodward-Hart leads the way with 3.85 digs per set while at the net, Nevaeh Bray is averaging better than one block per set.
-WYO-
