The University of Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team opened the UniWyo Invite with a three-set sweep (25-18, 25-19, 25-19) of Eastern Michigan on Friday night. Wyoming returns to the court Saturday at noon to take on Jacksonville before a contest with No. 21 Purdue tomorrow night at 7 p.m. MT.
“There was a fantastic crowd tonight and I think we probably fed off that a bit,” UW head coach Chad Callihan said. “I thought we looked crisp right when we came out. From the first five or six they hit, there was no doubt we were ready to pick them up. So I thought that set the tone for the game and that we were pretty locked in tonight. I think we still need to be more consistent from the service line. I know we can regroup and come back a little stronger on that end tomorrow.”
The Cowgirls were led offensively by Emily Lewis, who posted a match-high 13 kills in front of 1,199 fans in the UniWyo Sports Complex. Laurel Place posted a career-high seven kills for the Brown and Gold, in addition to three total blocks. Both Jackie McBride and Marissa Harmon recorded six kills, as Halie McArdle added five on the night.
Harmon once again led both teams with 33 assists. She also had eight digs and one block. Madi Fields led the team for the fourth time this season with 12 digs against the Eagles. Fields also had three assists on Friday night.
Set One:
Wyoming jumped out to a 10-3 lead before Eastern Michigan called its first timeout. The Cowgirls were led by Lewis’ five kills in the opening set, which set the tone for the rest of the evening. Only three times in the set did EMU score more than one point in a row, as UW took the set by a score of 25-18.
Set Two:
EMU’s first lead of the match came off a service error at the beginning of set two. Wyoming quickly tied it a two all and then went on a 9-4 run. After a Wyoming timeout, the Cowgirls closed out the set claiming 12 of the next 20 points for the win, 25-19. McBride had five kills right before intermission, as Harmon tossed out ten assists.
Set Three:
A back and forth contest early in the third set kept Wyoming under control before UW forced EMU to call timeout up 11-7. UW went on a 7-3 three run to separate the two squads. The Cowgirls eventually took the set and match behind a 25-19 third set victory for their second win of the young season. Harmon once again led both teams with 13 assists in the final set, as Lewis recorded six kills to pace the Brown and Gold.
Notes:
-Fields has recorded double-digit digs in all four matches this season. She leads the team with 63 so far this year.
-Harmon has had at least 30 assists in every match of 2017. She is the team leader with 157 on the season.
-Laurel Place earned the first start of her career and posted career-bests in kills with seven and blocks with three.
-The second straight-set victory of the season for Wyoming came in front of 1,199 fans in attendance, which was a season-best for Wyoming.
Press Release courtesy of Wyoming Athletics.
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