SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (Sept. 6, 2026) – The Wyoming Cowgirls jumped out to a two sets to none lead Sunday but close-out Long Beach State in the end as LBSU rallied to defeat Wyoming in five sets to finish the Utah Classic. UW won the first two sets 27-25 and 25-12 before The Beach were able to take the final three sets 25-19, 25-13 and 15-10.
Wyoming (3-2) led for much of the first part of a thrilling first set and were able to rally late to take the first. The Cowgirls faced a set point at 25-24 before scoring three consecutive points to close things out to take an early lead in the match. The second was dominated by UW as it turned a 6-0 run into a 14-7 lead and later in the frame, closed the second with five straight points to take a 2-0 advantage. From there, however, Long Beach State rallied and controlled most of the final three sets to come away with the victory.
The Cowgirls hit .106 in the loss while LBSU hit .139. The Beach also controlled the net defensively, recording 17 blocks to Wyoming's eight. Both teams had six service aces in the match, but UW committed 14 serving errors while Long Beach State had just eight.
Rylee Heinz had the best match of her young career as the freshman led the Cowgirls with a career-best 14 kills while hitting .360. Heinz also tied a career-high with a team-leading six total blocks on the afternoon. Ruby Jensen, Reagan Sharp and Addy Thorington added seven kills each in the loss. Kristina Bozovic and Thorington also added three blocks each.
Sara Quigley and Maddy Stucky each had 20-plus assists in the contest. Quigley had 22 assists and a pair of kills while Stucky added 20 assists, eight digs and a pair of aces. Paige Lauterwasser led the Cowgirls with a season-high 16 digs while Rya Fingerlin had 11 from her libero position.
Wyoming returns home next week for three matches inside the UniWyo as it hosts the UniWyo Invite. The Cowgirls open the tournament at 6 p.m., Thursday, September 10. UW also hosts South Dakota Friday at 6 p.m., and the 2026 edition of the Border War Saturday at 7 p.m., as Colorado State comes to town.
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