Wyoming Hosts UniWyo Invite
courtesy photo
Cowgirls welcome UCSB, USD and CSU
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 9, 2026) – The Wyoming Cowgirls return home for their second tournament of the non-conference slate this week as Wyoming welcomes in UC Santa Barbara, South Dakota and Colorado State, as it hosts the UniWyo Invite. The Cowgirls face UCSB at 6 p.m., Thursday, September 10, South Dakota at 6 p.m., Friday and CSU at 7 p.m., Saturday.
Wyoming (3-2) is coming off a 1-2 weekend at the Utah Classic over the weekend. The Cowgirls’ lone win came in four sets over Eastern Illinois. In the win, Ruby Jensen recorded her first-career double-double as she tallied 10 kills and 10 blocks to lead UW in both categories. In the five-set loss to Long Beach State, Rylee Heinz recorded a career-high 14 kills while hitting .360 and tied her career-best with six total blocks.
Jensen (1.05) and Heinz (1.00) rank second and third, respectively, in the Mountain West in blocks per set entering this week. Rya Fingerlin, who is averaging 3.26 digs per set, ranks fifth in the league. Paige Lauterwasser, who is 78 kills away from joining the exclusive 1,000-Kill Club at UW, is 10th in the MW averaging 2.63 kills per set. Heinz’s .329 hitting efficiency through five matches ranks seventh-best in the league.
As a team, the Cowgirls’ .167 opponent hitting percentage is best in the conference. Wyoming also ranks in the top-half of the Mountain West in hitting percentage (3rd - .226), blocks per set (4th – 2.11) and aces (5th – 1.37).
UC Santa Barbara is 4-1 in 2026 and is 1-0 in its only road contest. The Gauchos are hitting .252 on the season, average 14.21 kills per set and 13.16 assists per. Sophia Wendlick leads UCSB with 73 kills (3.84) and is hitting .310 in 2026. Gabi Martinez is averaging 3.47 kills per set. At setter, the Gauchos deploy a two-setter offense. Ayva Ostovar is averaging 5.58 assists per set while Milan Rex is averaging 5.32. Bella Mathis leads UC Santa Barbara with 21 blocks, averaging 1.11 per set.
South Dakota is 5-1 this season and has wins over Mountain West opponent, Air Force and perennial Missouri Vally power, Northern Iowa. The Coyotes are 1-0 in road matches on the young season. USD is averaging 14.30 kills and 13.74 assists per set this season. South Dakota is strong defensively, averaging an incredible 17.83 digs per set and is also averaging 1.57 service aces per. Lauren Medeck is averaging 4.0 kills per set while two others, Gabi Zachariasen and Audrey Nelson average 2.55 and 2.57 per set, respectively. Setter Avery Van Hook is averaging 10.87 assists per set this season. Two Coyotes are averaging better than four digs per set in Van Hook (4.17) and Sierra Pokharel (4.22).
Colorado State's only two losses this season have come against ranked opponents in SMU and North Carolina, which came in four and five sets, respectively. Halle Jameson leads the Rams with 70 kills and is third with 13 blocks. Kekua Richards and Eve Wilson averaging 1.10 and 1.00 blocks per, respectively. At setter, Erin Debiec is averaging 10.05 assists per set while in the back row, Karsyn Fetzer paces CSU with 3.15 digs per set. The Rams average 2.35 blocks per set as a team.
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