Cowgirls Close Non-Conference at Idaho State
Courtesy photo
UW set for Orange & Black Classic
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 15, 2026) – The Wyoming Cowgirls travel for their final non-conference tune-up of 2026 this week as they make the trip to the Idaho State Orange & Black Classic. The Cowgirls open the tourney Thursday at 4 p.m., against Boise State. UW faces host-Idaho State at 7 p.m., Friday before closing with a noon matchup Saturday against Pacific.
Friday’s match against ISU and Saturday’s against Pacific will both be streamed on ESPN +.
Wyoming (4-4) is coming off a 1-2 weekend last week at the UniWyo Invite. The Cowgirls opened the tournament with a thrilling five-set victory over UC Santa Barbara. A trio of Cowgirls led UW with 10 kills each in the win against the Gauchos. In the Friday four-set loss to South Dakota, Anna Williams recorded a career-high six total blocks. Williams would make her first-career start the next night against Colorado State and had five kills while hitting .455. Emma Winter hit .500 and led the Cowgirls with seven kills against the Rams.
As a team, Wyoming ranks third in the Mountain West in team blocks per set with 2.16. The Cowgirls’ .201 team hitting percentage ranks fifth in the league, as does their opponent hitting percentage of .206. Individually, Rylee Heinz ranks fifth in the MW this season, hitting .336. Heinz also ranks 10th in the conference in blocks per set with 0.94 per. Ruby Jensen’s 0.96 blocks a set are fifth-best in the Mountain West. Rya Fingerlin ranks seventh in the league averaging 3.19 digs per set.
Paige Lauterwasser, who leads the Cowgirls with 78 kills and 2.52 kills per set, is now just 50 kills away from reaching the prestigious 1,000-Kill Club in program history. Lauterwasser is also second on the squad averaging 2.68 digs per set and has a team-high 89 points in 2026.
Boise State is 0-2 in neutral-site matches this season. Sydney Dreves leads a balanced Bronco attack with 95 kills (2.79 per set). Dreves is one of three Broncos to be averaging at least two kills per set. Kendall Hastings leads the team with 48 total blocks, 1.41 per set. In the back row, Melia Barlow leads Boise State with 4.38 digs per set and 12 service aces. As a team, the Broncos average 1.65 aces per set and average 2.38 blocks a set. The two teams split last season's meetings.
Idaho State is 7-2 this season and will be playing its first home matches of 2026 this week. The Bengals, who average 2.44 team blocks per set, are led by Jaydin Watts' 1.50 per set. Watts is second on the team with 74 kills and is hitting .343 this season. Mia Walsh leads the team with 77 kills. Aspen Boice's 4.48 digs per set leads ISU, who average an incredible 18.15 team digs per set this season. In the Bengals' two-setter offense, Nora Waddoups leads with team with 6.45 assists per set while Kadence Marsh is averaging 5.42 per.
Pacific, who all four of its wins have come in neutral matches, is led by Nicole Zake's 95 total kills this season. Ellie Prindl leads the Tigers with 24 total blocks (0.96). Isabella Gutierrez leads Pacific with 4.41 digs per set. Alessia Couchond leads the team with 166 assists while Chloe Giehtbrock has tallied 94 this season. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .158 on the season.
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