Tom Hesse

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

            In one weekend, the Cowgirl volleyball team eclipsed their nonconference record of last season by sweeping the UniWyo Wyoming Invite.

            In straight sets, Wyoming volleyball defeated Southern Utah and Central Arkansas on Friday before dispatching Northern Arizona in similar fashion. The Cowgirls stumbled for the first time in their late match against Murray State where they needed four sets to take down the Racers.

            The Cowgirls’ success did not travel without individual accolades in the passenger seat. Wyoming senior middle blocker JennaRae Jester was awarded the MVP of the invite and senior opposite hitter Dani Bedore was selected to the all-tournament team, according to Wyoming Athletics.

             The team opened the tournament with a dominant performance over Southern Utah. The Cowgirls took the first set 25-13, then completed the sweep with victories of 25-18 and 25-23 in the final two sets of the match.

            Against Central Arkansas, the Cowgirls were equally impressive winning the first three sets with scores of 25-18, 27-25 and 25-18.

"This was a great way to start the year," Head Coach Carrie Yerty told Wyoming Athletics. "The players were excited to see someone else besides their teammates across the net. We had an opportunity to work in several players, which helped them gain some experience. We blocked tremendously well today with 20 block assists. I'm proud of them. Senior Dani Bedore was solid with ten kills and a .450 hitting percentage along with Camille Coffman who had three blocks and a .455 hitting percentage. We had a lot of people step up and play well."

The Cowgirls avoided the first day hangover by breaking into Saturday with scores of 25-16, 25-14 and 27-25 in their sweep of Northern Arizona. Against Murray State, the Cowgirls started with a 25-20 victory before faltering in the second set, 27-29. After a close second set, the Cowgirls regained their composure to take the next two sets by scores of 25-21 and 25-20.

“I really appreciate the effort we had at the end of the match to come away with the victory,” Head Coach Carrie Yerty told Wyoming Athletics. “To come back, stay calm and aggressive that wouldn’t have happened a year ago. They really stayed composed, but stayed aggressive even when we were behind.”

The Cowgirls will take their undefeated record to DeLand, Florida for the Stetson University Invitational this Friday.