The 2022 volleyball season is officially underway after the cowgirls competed in the Rumble in the Rockies tournament from August 26-27.
The team faced Wichita State (WSU) Friday, August 26, losing in the fifth set, with the final scores being 15-25, 22-25, 25-15, 31-29, and 8-15.
Then, the Cowgirls faced Iowa State the same night, losing that game in the fourth set, the scores being 25-19, 20-25, 19-25, and 24-26.
In the WSU and Iowa State games, Kasia Partyka recorded 45 assists and ten digs during her first two games as a Wyoming Cowgirl. Hailey Zuroske also made the first two stats of her libero career with 12 digs in the WSU game and 14 digs in the Iowa State game.
Tierney Barlow was another bright spot for the Cowgirls in the two losses. The freshman had eight kills against Wichita State and another six kills against Iowa State.
The following day, August 27, The Cowgirls lost to Creighton in the fourth set, with the final scores being 25-19, 20-25, 19-25, and 24-26.
During the Creighton match, Corin Carruth achieved her first-career double-double after helping her team with ten digs and three block assists. Kendal Rivera also earned a career-best by adding 13 digs to her statistics.
These three games were nonconference, so they will not affect the University of Wyoming Cowgirls standing in the Mountian West 2022 season rankings.
These losses did affect the team’s NCCA rating percentage index or RPI.
Going forward, The Cowgirls will have to win most of their conference and off-season games to gain a higher RPI in the hopes of being one of the 24 teams that get to compete in the NCAA Women’s Volleyball single-elimination tournament
32 of the competing teams will receive an automatic bid, while the remaining 32 will be selected on an at-large basis. All 64 teams are chosen based on their RPI.
Currently, the Univeristy of Wyoming is ranked number 135 out of 340 on the RPI List.
They will have a chance to help boost their ratings during the Grand Canyon Tournament in Phoenix, Arizona, September 2-3, where they will play Santa Clara University, The University of Idaho, and Grand Canyon University.
