Cowgirls Rally Past Lobos, Extend Win Streak to Five and Stay Perfect in Mountain West
The Wyoming Cowgirls kept their momentum rolling on Saturday, overcoming a slow start to defeat New Mexico in four sets on the road and improve to 4-0 in Mountain West play. The Cowgirls dropped the opening frame 19-25 before storming back to win three straight, 27-25, 27-25, and 25-14.
With the victory, Wyoming (8-7 overall, 4-0 MW) matched the second-best conference start in program history — joining the 1989, 1997, and 2020-21 squads at 4-0.
New Mexico came out swinging, jumping to a quick 5-0 lead in the first set and never trailing. But Wyoming answered with grit and composure in the next two sets, outlasting the Lobos in a pair of extra-point battles. The second frame featured 12 ties and seven lead changes before the Cowgirls fought off a set point and scored the final three points to even the match. The third was another seesaw contest with 17 ties before Wyoming once again closed strong to take a 2-1 lead. The fourth set was all Cowgirls, as they dominated from start to finish to seal the comeback victory.
Senior standout Sarah Holcomb led the charge once again with a match-high 15 kills while hitting an efficient .371. She also reached a major career milestone — recording her 1,000th career point on a key block in the third set. Holcomb and Claire Wagstaff each added four blocks, while Jordan Sandy led all players with five.
Offensively, Paige Lauterwasser added 14 kills and posted a double-double with 15 digs, while Wagstaff reached double digits with 10 kills of her own. Defensively, Sara Quigley paced the back row with 16 digs, followed by Lily LaFlesch (15) and Skylar Erickson (14). Maddy Stucky also notched a double-double, contributing 20 assists and 12 digs, while Quigley added 26 assists.
Sandy and Emma Winter chipped in seven kills apiece. From the service line, LaFlesch and Quigley each tallied two aces, while Sandy and Stucky added one each as Wyoming finished with six aces to New Mexico’s four.
As a team, Wyoming hit .225 compared to New Mexico’s .194 and out-killed the Lobos 66-48. The Cowgirls also edged UNM in digs, 79-72.
Wyoming now returns to Laramie for a pair of home matches, beginning Thursday at 6:30 p.m. against Utah State, as the Cowgirls look to keep their hot streak alive in Mountain West action
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