The Wyoming Cowgirls volleyball team is off to a historic start this season, boasting a remarkable 9-0 record to start off their 2023 campaign, with three of those wins coming from their trip to Portland this weekend.
The Cowgirls were initially tasked with dealing with the host team of the tournament, the University of Portland. While the Pilots gave the Cowgirls quite the scare, pushing them all the way to the fifth set, the Cowgirls were able to seal the deal in the last set, with a final score of 15-11. It was quite a messy game for the Cowgirls, as they recorded a season low .191 hitting percentage.
Defensively, however, they were able to hold the Pilots to a .062 hitting percentage. They were able to scrape their way to the win behind the offensive efforts of Rylee Schulz and previous Mountain West offensive player of the week Kasia Partyka. Schulz led the team with 12 kills and Partyka recorded 33 assists. Sarah Halcomb led the Cowgirls with 6 blocks and Zoee Smith with 11 digs.
In their second game in Portland, the Cowgirls took on Eastern Washington. While Wyoming swept the Eagles in three sets, each one was very close, with the Cowgirls relying on late-set surges to get themselves over the line. The final set scores were 25-20, 25-22, and 25-19 respectively. They boasted a much greater hitting percentage of .404 and were again led offensively by Rylee Schulz with 16 kills and Kasia Partyka with 41 assists.
Tierney Barlow recorded a team leading 4 blocks. She also recorded 10 kills in the game. Skylar Erickson, last week’s Mountain West defensive player of the week, led the team with 13 digs in the game.
The Cowgirls ended their flawless run in the Portland Tournament against Cal State Northridge, winning 3-1.
The Cowgirls closely took the first two sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-21. The Matadors then answered back in the third set, winning by a score of 25-21 before the Cowgirls were able to close the game in the fourth set by a score of 25-22. Schulz and Partyka continued their offensive control, with Schulz recording 15 kills and Partyka notching 35 assists.
Defensively, the Cowgirls were once more led by Tierney Barlow with 3 blocks, while Sierra Grizzle and Holly Eastridge each got 15 digs apiece.
The Cowgirls head back to Laramie this weekend, kicking off a two game home stand on Thursday. They play the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at 6:30 that evening, and take on Idaho State on Saturday.
