Cowgirls Stumble at Utah

UW begins tourney with loss against Utes 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (Sept. 4, 2026) – The Wyoming Cowgirls suffered their first setback of the season Friday night on the road, losing at Utah in three sets to open the Utah Classic. Wyoming fell 25-15, 25-14 and 25-23.

The Utes (4-0) controlled the match for most of the evening, taking control early in the first set and using a 13-0 scoring run in the second to help take a 2-0 lead in the match. In the third, UW (2-1) put up a fight, leading in the latter stages of the frame, at 21-20 and 22-21. However, Utah would respond to close the set and the match out with a 4-1 run to finish the sweep.

Paige Lauterwasser and Reagan Sharp led the Cowgirl attack with seven kills each. Lauterwasser once again had an efficient evening, as she hit .312 in the loss. Lauterwasser also tied for the team lead along with Rya Fingerlin, recording six digs.

Maddy Stucky led the way with 14 assists on the night and was one of three Cowgirls to register a service ace. Sara Quigley, meanwhile, added nine assists. At the net, Rylee Heinz had a team-best three total blocks while Lauterwasser chipped in with two.

Utah hit .309 in the contest while holding the Cowgirls to a .110 efficiency. The Utes also out-blocked UW 10-4 on the night and had an 8-3 advantage in service aces.

Next up, the Brown & Gold look to rebound Saturday with its second match of the tournament. The Cowgirls face Eastern Illinois at noon.

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