The Wyoming Cowgirls Volleyball team took on the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels on Thursday, suffering a heartbreaking 2-3 loss against the Rebels. This loss gives a young Cowgirls team a 0-3 start to conference play, a stark contrast to their incredible 11-0 start to the season in non-conference play.
The Cowgirls started the first two sets off hot, extending out to a 5-0 lead in both of them and never letting the Rebels lead in either of them. The Cowgirls were able to win the first set by a score of 25-18 after a Cowgirl timeout lead to a 4-0 to give them the win. The Cowgirls were even more dominant in the second set, setting themselves apart with a 7-1 run from 18-13 to win the second set by a score of 25-14.
Just when it seemed as if the Cowgirls were in prime position to lock the game down with a sweep, the Rebels offensive attack took off with a 6-1 lead in the third set, not giving an inch to the Cowgirls as they lost the third set by a score of 19-25. The fourth set brought more struggle for the Cowgirls, as they quickly found themselves down early again and could never claw back, losing the fourth set by a score of 20-25.
The fifth and final set of the game saw an intense back-and-forth battle between the Cowgirls and the Rebels, as they found themselves knotted up at 10-10. Unfortunately for the Cowgirls, the Rebels were just too much as they pulled away at the end of the set, with the Cowgirls losing the fifth set by a score of 12-15.
The Cowgirls recorded a .233 hitting percentage as a team, notching a total 61 kills as well. The Rebels recorded a slightly higher hitting percentage, hitting at .313 percent on the game.
Rylee Schulz paced the Cowgirls offensively with 18 kills, followed closely by Corin Carruth with 15 kills. Kasia Partyka also led the Cowgirls with 42 assists.
Defensively, both Skylar Erickson and Schulz had 11 digs. Sarah Halcomb lead the team in blocks, finding herself 4 on the game.
The Cowgirls will return to action this Saturday in the Arena-Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. to face the San Diego State Aztecs.
