Cowgirls Outlast Rams in Five-Set Border War Thriller
The Wyoming Cowgirls opened Mountain West play in dramatic fashion Thursday night, grinding out a five-set win over rival Colorado State in front of an electric home crowd. The night had all the emotions of a Border War battle, with Wyoming ultimately claiming a 25-20, 25-21, 18-25, 19-25, 15-13 victory.
Wyoming (5-7, 1-0 MW) looked poised for a sweep early, taking control of the first two sets. The Cowgirls never trailed beyond the opening point in the first frame and used a late surge in the second to pull away after being down 13-10. A 12-5 run swung the momentum back to the Brown & Gold, and the home team took a commanding 2-0 lead.
The middle sets belonged to the Rams, who found their rhythm and flipped the energy. Colorado State rallied in the third and fourth, erasing small Wyoming advantages and building big leads of their own to force a decisive fifth set.
The final frame was a tug-of-war that captured the intensity of the rivalry. Wyoming jumped ahead 8-4 after a 6-1 run, but CSU stormed back with five straight points to take a 10-9 edge. The Cowgirls responded with grit, pulling ahead 14-11 before the Rams closed within one. With the crowd on its feet, Paige Lauterwasser delivered the final kill to secure the match for Wyoming and kick off conference play with a statement win.
Jillian Gregory powered the offense with a career-best 16 kills. Lauterwasser added 11 kills and 14 digs, while Sarah Holcomb and Claire Wagstaff each chipped in 10. Setter duties were split, as Sara Quigley handed out 26 assists alongside seven digs and six kills, and freshman Maddy Stucky tallied a career-high 30 assists in her first start.
On the defensive side, Holcomb’s seven blocks and Skylar Erickson’s 19 digs anchored the Cowgirls. Lily LaFlesch contributed 13 digs, and Jordan Sandy provided a spark off the bench with seven kills on a .500 hitting percentage plus four blocks.
Statistically, CSU edged Wyoming in hitting percentage (.281 to .268), but the Cowgirls rose to the occasion in the final set. Wyoming also held a slim 11-9 advantage in blocks, while service numbers were nearly even.
With the Border War victory in their pocket, the Cowgirls aim to carry momentum into Saturday’s matchup against Air Force in Laramie. First serve is set for 1 p.m. as Wyoming looks to start conference play 2-0
.