LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 4, 2025) – The Wyoming Cowgirls hit the road for the first time in 2025 as they head to the state of South Dakota for a pair of matches at the South Dakota State Invitational. Wyoming faces Ole Miss to begin things at noon Mountain Time Saturday before facing the host Jackrabbits at 11 a.m., Sunday. Both matches will be streamed live for a small fee on Midco Sports Plus.
The Cowgirls have had success against both opponents historically in limited matchups. UW is 3-1 all-time against the Rebels. However, this will be the first match against Ole Miss since 2003. Against SDSU, Wyoming is 3-0 with the last meeting coming in 2023. This will be the first time the Cowgirls and Jackrabbits will play at SDSU.
Wyoming is coming off a 2-1 opening weekend at home in the Rumble in the Rockies. The Cowgirls picked up wins against Tulsa and Cleveland last week before falling to Colorado in the finale. Sarah Holcomb and Paige Lauterwasser led the way offensively with 34 kills each. The duo, ranks tied for fifth in the Mountain West together, averaging 3.40 kills per set. Holcomb's 4.20 points per set over the opening weekend of play ranks fourth-best in the league.
After the first three matches of her career, Sara Quigley is averaging 10.80 assists per set, a mark that ranks fourth in the league as well. Jordan Sandy, meanwhile, leads the Cowgirls and is fifth in the conference averaging 1.38 blocks per set. As a team, Wyoming ranks in the top five in the MW in four different statistical categories. The Brown & Gold are third in the league in digs (16.20) and fourth in blocks (2.50) per set.
Ole Miss opened 2025 winning 2-of-3 matches at the Georgia Tech Classic. The Rebels' lone loss came at the hands of No. 22 ranked Georgia Tech in four. Ole Miss was led by Gabi Placides 4.25 kills per set over the weekend. At setter, Mokihana Tufono's 10.08 assists per set led the Rebels. Defensively, Cammy Niesen paced the squad with 4.08 digs per set while at the net, Tessa Jones led Ole Miss with 10 blocks while Keirstyn Carlton is averaging 1.00 block per set. As a team, Ole Miss averaged 12.33 kills per set but hit just .194 in the three matches. The Rebels were deadly at the service line, averaging 2.42 service aces and had six student-athletes with four-or-more aces. The Rebels made it to the Second Round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament
South Dakota State, who was also an NCAA Tournament team a season ago, split a pair of matches last weekend at Northern Iowa. SDSU opened the season with a four-set win over Illinois before losing in four to the host Panthers, also in four sets. The Jackrabbits were led by Sylvie Zgonc's 4.13 kills per set during the opening weekend. South Dakota State was potent defensively over the weekend, averaging 2.75 blocks and 17.38 digs per set in the two matches. Sydni Schetnan led the way with 10 total blocks over the weekend. In the back row, Joslyn Richardson averaged 4.13 digs per set. Last season, the Jackrabbits went 10-1 at home. SDSU is led by former Cowgirl assistant, Dan Georgalas.
-WYO-
