Cowgirls Fall in Four Sets at CSU
photo by John Durgee, courtesy University of Wyoming Athletics
UW starts match strong before Rams rally
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (Oct. 8, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowgirls were able to take the first set Tuesday night on the road but relinquished the next three sets to Colorado State in a four-set loss to the Rams in the first meeting of the Border War in 2024. Set scores went 25-23, 17-25, 20-25 and 21-25.
The Cowgirls (9-6, 1-4 MW) came out strong to begin the match, leading the first set early as the offense was hitting on all cylinders. After the Rams (9-8, 5-0 MW) would respond in the first to reclaim the lead, a final 4-1 rally from UW to end the set after it was 22-21, gave the Cowgirls a 25-23 win in the back-and-forth first set. The first featured 10 ties and five lead changes.
CSU made a quick response in the contest, coming out and controlling the second set from start-to-finish. In the third, the Rams again jumped on Wyoming early in the frame, but the Brown & Gold proved resilient in the set and eventually tied the score at 15-15. From there however, Colorado State went on a 6-1 run to take a 21-16 lead and eventually closed the set out with a win. The fourth set went much like the second and third sets, as the Rams came away with the match victory.
The Rams were efficient offensively, hitting .297 in the contest while UW hit just .185. CSU also had a 10-5 advantage in total team blocks and had five service aces to Wyoming’s three.
Paige Lauterwasser once again led the Wyoming attack on the night as she tallied 19 kills. Emma Winter and Sonte Stewart added 12 and nine kills, respectively while in the middle, Sarah Holcomb and Kayla Mazzocca had six and five, respectively. Mazzocca and Stewart led the Cowgirl defense at the net with three total blocks each.
In the back row, Sierra Grizzle’s 20 digs paced Wyoming while Kasia Partyka notched another double-double as she had 15 digs. Partyka’s 43 assists on the night led the match with the Rams. Macey Boggs, Grizzle and Skylar Erickson had Wyoming’s three aces in the loss.
Wyoming returns to action and returns home Saturday night as San Diego State comes to town. The Cowgirls will host the Aztecs inside the Arena-Auditorium at 7 p.m.