Cowgirls Travel to Air Force and Host New Mexico This Week
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Oct. 22, 2024) – The Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team returns to action this week with a split road and home schedule. The Cowgirls open the week Thursday at Air Force with a 6 p.m., contest. Wyoming then returns home for the first time in three matches as it hosts New Mexico at noon Saturday.
Wyoming (11-7, 3-5 MW) is coming off a 1-1-week last week on the road. The Cowgirls opened with a convincing sweep at UNLV Thursday evening before falling against San Diego State, Saturday. The win in Las Vegas was the first for the Cowgirls in Sin City in nearly a decade (October 30, 2014) and snapped a six-match skid to the Lady Rebels. UW hit a season-high for a Mountain West match this season with a .341 clip in the victory, and then held UNLV to just a .146 percentage.
For the season, the Cowgirls are holding their opponents to just a .181 hitting percentage, a mark that ranks second in the league. Wyoming boasts Sarah Holcomb and Kayla Mazzocca in the middle defensively, as the duo are both tied for second in the Mountain West averaging 1.25 blocks per set this season. In the back row, Sierra Grizzle’s 4.19 digs per set are tops in the league.
Paige Lauterwasser, meanwhile, continues to pace the Cowgirl offense in 2024. Lauterwasser is eighth in the league in both kills (3.46) and points per set (3.81) while her marks in those categories in conference-only matches rank sixth (3.73) and seventh (4.03), respectively. At the service line, Skylar Erickson and Grizzle lead the Cowgirls and are tied for eighth together in the league averaging 0.35 aces per set.
Air Force enters Thursday led by Ella Tschuor's 167 kills (2.57 per set) on the season while Ashley Bible is second on the squad with 155 kills. Defensively, Grace Fiaseu leads the Falcons with 61 total blocks while in the back row, Jordan Suan's 244 digs (3.75 per set) are a team high. AFA has used a pair of setters in 2024 in Greta Hans and Mia Loyd. Both of Air Force's wins this season have come at home.
Lauryn Payne's 3.43 kills and 3.64 points per set this season both lead New Mexico and rank ninth in the Mountain West. Defensively, the Lobos are one of the top teams in the league, allowing opponents to hit just .194 on the season. UNM's 16.28 digs per set as a squad are far-and-away the best in the conference. Libero Falanika Danielson is second in the MW averaging 4.18 digs per set while Liepa Lavickyte's 1.22 blocks per set ranks fifth-best in the league.
Fans can get into Saturday’s match for $5 with their Cowboy football ticket for Saturday evening against Utah State.