Cowgirls Come Up Short at Fresno State in Five Sets

Wyoming can’t hold off late Bulldog charge

 FRESNO, Calif. (Nov. 16, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team dropped a five-set heartbreaker on the road Saturday at Fresno State. The Bulldogs were able to rally late in the fourth set to tie the match at two sets each, and then were able to take the fifth set, winning the match by scores of 25-21, 18-25, 23-25, 25-22 and 15-7.

After dropping the first set, Wyoming (14-11, 6-10 MW) took the next two sets to take a 2-1 lead in the contest. The Cowgirls closed the second set on a 7-0 run to even things up at a set apiece and then held off Fresno late in the third to take the lead. In the fourth, UW led 19-15 and 20-17 before the Bulldogs rallied and rattled off an 8-2 run to force a fifth set. In the fifth, it was all Fresno State as they jumped out early, scoring seven of the first eight points. Wyoming would cut the deficit down to as few as three, at 9-6, but couldn’t get any closer than that.

Sarah Holcomb and Claire Wagstaff led the Cowgirl attack with 13 kills each. Holcomb hit .458 in the loss, while also leading the way with four total blocks on the day. Paige Lauterwasser also finished with double-digit kills as she added 11.

In the back row, Sierra Grizzle led the way with 17 digs while Skylar Erickson and Emma Winter chipped in with nine each. Erickson led the Cowgirls with three service aces against the Bulldogs. Kendal Rivera, meanwhile, had two in her specialty role off the bench. Kasia Partyka had 39 assists in the contest and, along with Wagstaff, had a pair of blocks.

Fresno State hit .186 in the match while Wyoming hit just .135. The Bulldogs doubled-up UW in team blocks, 12-6. Fresno also had a slight edge, 8-7, in service aces. Both teams had 13 serving errors on the day.

Wyoming closes out the regular season next week with a pair of home matches. The Cowgirls host Utah State at 6:30 Thursday night. Senior Day will be at noon, Saturday, November 23 against Nevada.