The No. 1 versus No. 3 showdown turned out to be one-sided, as Cheyenne East swept Laramie in 4A East Conference volleyball Tuesday.

The top-ranked Thunderbirds won the match by scores of 25-17, 25-10 and 25-14.

Lady Plainsmen head coach Rebecca Stewart said it wasn’t an ideal game.

“We showed up to compete, and they did, too. When it first started in that first game, it really showed, but once we lost the momentum, I think we lost a little confidence in ourselves, and we just never gained it back.”

Laramie (18-4, 4-1) started out well and went back-and-forth in the first set until it was tied at 12. East scored the next six points and pulled away for the eight-point victory. In set two, the Thunderbirds jumped out to a 6-1 lead. They steadily pulled away and led 23-9 before Laramie got to double digits in points. East finished it at 25-10.

Set three began the same way, as the Lady Plainsmen found themselves in an 8-1 hole. Laramie rallied within two points, twice, at 8-10 and 12-14. The Thunderbirds scored the next three points for a 17-12 edge. East scored eight of the next 10 points and completed the sweep.

Stewart added, “We gave little pushes in the third that kind of brought us back a little bit, but by that point, we were in such a deep hole, couldn’t dig out of it.”

Junior Katie Welniak led the Lady Plainsmen with six kills, while sophomore’s Jennifer Aadland and Ashlyn Titensor added four kills, apiece.

Stewart also admitted, “East showed up to play. I think they played a great match. Did we give them our (best) effort, I don’t think so. We have to look at it as a growing experience. We’re going to get better from this; come back in the gym tomorrow and work on the things we need to work on.”

Laramie will begin the second half of 4A East Conference action on the road. They play at No. 4 Gillette Friday at 5 p.m. Then it’s on to Sheridan to face the Broncs Saturday at noon.

Stewart said it’s hard to go from home games to on the road.

“We’re going to mentally prepare this week; put ‘em in drills that put ‘em in tough situations; put ‘em down points, learning how to dig out of holes; drills that get us started in games. Other than that, we’ve just got to show up and play our game.”

Swimming and Diving

The Laramie Lady Plainsmen won their final home dual of the season with a 101.50-to-71.50 victory over Cheyenne East Tuesday at the LHS Natatorium.

Laramie won nine of the 12 events. Catie Weathermon and Olivia McPherson won two events apiece. Weathermon finished first in the 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle, while McPherson was victorious in the 50 free and 100 breaststroke. Carter Burchi, Teryn White and Elena Hennerman also won an event, while LHS captured the 200 medley and 200 free relays.

It was not a senior night celebration, as that is planned Oct. 21 at the Last Chance meet.

Laramie goes on the road to Gillette for two competitions this weekend. There is a non-scored pre-invite Friday and the scored Gillette Invite on Saturday.

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