🏐 Cowgirls Open 2025 Season with Thrilling Win Over Tulsa 🏐
The Wyoming Cowgirls kicked off their 2025 campaign in dramatic style Friday night at the Arena-Auditorium, battling past Tulsa in four sets to secure their third straight season-opening victory. Set scores were 25-22, 21-25, 25-17 and 28-26.
Wyoming nearly let the fourth set slip away after holding a 23-19 lead, but Tulsa stormed back to even things at 24-all. The Cowgirls stayed composed, capitalizing on a Golden Hurricane service error before Jordan Sandy sealed the win with a decisive kill.
The opener was a back-and-forth affair, particularly in the first set, which featured 11 ties and five lead changes. Wyoming finally broke through with a 6-1 run to take control at 19-14 and held off a late Tulsa push to grab the early advantage. Tulsa answered in the second, riding momentum to knot the match at one set apiece. Wyoming then steadied itself, dominating the third set before outlasting Tulsa in the tight fourth.
Both teams finished the night with identical .262 hitting percentages, but the difference came in the service game and at the net. Wyoming posted four aces to Tulsa’s two while committing just eight errors from the line, compared to 15 from the visitors. The Cowgirls also held a 12-8 advantage in team blocks.
Individually, Paige Lauterwasser led the charge with a match-high 15 kills. She was joined in double figures by Sarah Holcomb with 11 and freshman Addy Thorington, who tallied 10 in her first career start. Addy Cook added nine kills of her own.
Holcomb and Sandy anchored the Cowgirls at the net with six blocks apiece, while Erickson and Rya Fingerlin each recorded 12 digs to pace the back row. Freshman setter Sara Quigley impressed in her debut, dishing out 44 assists, while four Cowgirls — Erickson, Fingerlin, LaFlesch and Sandy — chipped in an ace each.
The Cowgirls return to the Arena-Auditorium Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. for a matchup against Cleveland State as they look to build on their strong opening performance.