Cowgirls Ready to Host UniWyo Invite
Wyoming welcomes Coppin State, UAlbany and Utah for three-day event
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 17, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team hosts its final non-conference tournament of 2024, as well as its first home matches this week with the UniWyo Invite. Wyoming hosts Coppin State at 6 p.m., Thursday to kick-off the tournament before facing UAlbany at 6:30 Friday night and Utah at 1 p.m., Saturday.
Tickets are on sale now for the UniWyo Invite. General admission tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids. UW students can get in for free. Reserved chairback seats on the floor are available for $25 with limited availability. Friday night will be Polish Heritage Night in the UniWyo Sports Complex while Saturday will feature a gold pom pom giveaway.
The Cowgirls (6-2) are coming off a 1-2 weekend last week at the CU Buffs Invitational, but ended the weekend on a high note, defeating the host Colorado in four convincing sets. Paige Lauterwasser and Emma Winter led the Cowgirls with 11 and 10 kills, respectively in the win over the Buffs. In the middle, Kayla Mazzocca and Sarah Holcomb recorded nine and eight kills, respectively, while hitting .471 and .429 in the win.
On the season, Mazzocca and Holcomb rank second and third in the Mountain West in blocks per set with 1.48 and 1.42, respectively. Those marks rank 17th and 23rd in the nation. Lauterwasser, meanwhile, leads the Cowgirls with 99 kills on the young season and ranks ninth in the league averaging 3.00 kills per set. In the back row, Sierra Grizzle continues to lead the MW in digs with 4.27 per set.
As a team, Wyoming enters the weekend averaging 3.00 blocks per set, a mark that ranks fifth nationally. The Cowgirls’ opponent hitting percentage allowed of just .151 is second in the league and top-30 in the country. UW’s 1.61 service aces a set are third-best in the Mountain West.
Coppin State is looking for its first true road win Thursday in Laramie. The Eagles are 0-5 in true road matches in 2024. CSU is led by TaKenya Stafford's 142 kills and 3.38 per set. The Eagles utilize a two-setter offense and are led by Kahea Carvalho's 6.38 per set. Azul Pilah is averaging 4.06 per. As a team, Coppin State is hitting .184 on the season while opponents are hitting .246 in 2024.
UAlbany is led by Shynelle Woroniuk's 128 kills this season, the only Great Dane in triple figures for kills. Defensively, UAlbany is led by Gabriella Karman's 30 blocks and in the back row, Sthefany Carvalho leads the team averaging 4.29 blocks per set. The Great Danes are 1-5 away from Albany this season.
Utah enters the week at 7-1 overall and is a perfect 3-0 on the road. The Utes are balanced offensively, led by Kamryn Gibadlo's 86 kills. Lauren Jardine and Emrie Satuala are second and third, respectively, tallying 58 and 54. Isabelle Marco leads the team with 139 assists while Grace Hammond has 124. Allie Olsen is averaging a team-high 1.45 blocks per set.
-WYO-
Kevin DeVries
Athletic Communications Coordinator - Tennis, Volleyball and Women’s Basketball
University of Wyoming Athletics