LARAMIE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team pulled off a win for the ages on Saturday, coming back to defeat Boise State 25–21, 22–25, 11–25, 25–23, 15–12.
The Cowgirls came out strong, controlling the opening set with solid all-around play.
However, Boise State answered by putting together a late surge in the second set to tie the match at one set apiece.
The third set went entirely Boise State’s way, as the Broncos came out strong and kept the Cowgirls on the back foot for the whole frame.
UW would not go quietly, though, and battled its way to a fourth-set victory that forced a winner-take-all fifth. The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair, and featured 11 ties and four lead changes.
Boise State jumped out to an early lead in the fifth and led by as many as three, though UW always stayed within striking distance. The resilient Cowgirls tied things up at 10–10 after trailing 10–7. After BSU claimed a 12–11 advantage, Wyoming scored four consecutive points when it mattered most to escape with the win. The Cowgirls forced the Broncos into three straight errors to end the match.
Paige Lauterwasser finished with a match-high 19 kills in the victory and tallied a career-best 63 attacks. Sarah Holcomb was the only other Cowgirl with double digits, wracking up 10. She also led the team with seven total blocks on the night.
Neither team was particularly efficient in the hard-fought match. Boise State had a paltry .174 attack percentage, while Wyoming finished with an even worse .124.
Next up, Wyoming will hit the road for a three-match swing beginning Thursday night at UNLV.