The last time Wyoming Volleyball beat CSU…

On Saturday, the Wyoming Cowgirls Volleyball team upset #23 ranked Colorado State at home in five games.  The victory was thrilling and historic, a truly remarkable effort by the Wyoming team.

Wyoming had lost 26 consecutive Border War matches to the Rams, dating back 14 years.  In those 26 matches (each best of five contests), UW had won only 10 games.  Obviously, CSU has been dominant, but to truly put the scale of this Cowgirl victory into perspective, here’s a look at the 1997 Cowgirls Volleyball team, and a brief look at what was going on the last time Wyoming beat CSU in a volleyball match.

NOVEMBER 13, 1997:

Wyoming defeats CSU in straight sets (15-6, 15-6, 15-12).
The match was played in Laramie and was a grudge match for UW who had lost in straight sets to CSU on October 15 of that year (8-15, 9-15, 8-15).

Additional incentive to win was on the side of the Cowgirls, stemming from CSU’s football victory over Wyoming IN Laramie, 14-7 on October 18, 1997.

Current Outside-Hitter Jodi Purdy, who recorded her 1,000-career kill on Saturday, October 8, 2011, was 6 years old (born May 25, 1991).

In 1997, Wyoming was coached by Susan Steadman.  Steadman would go on to lead the Cowgirls to a 77-101 record as head coach from 1996-2001.
RECORDS:

The 1997 Cowgirls team finished the season 19-12 with a 10-4 WAC record.

Nearly one month before the CSU victory, Vanessa Kiremidjian set the single match assist record for a 3-game match, recording 63 assists against Fresno State on October 18, 1997.

In the same match against Fresno State, the Cowgirls set the program’s All-Time record for most team assists in a 3-game match with 65.

1997 Cowgirls set many single season team records that rank among the greatest in the 40-year history of the program:
-358 Total Blocks (Highest Season Total All-Time)
-4,808 Attempts (Second Highest Season Total All-Time)
-531 Block Assists (Third Highest Season Total All-Time)
-199 Service Aces (Third Highest Season Total All-Time)
-1,758 Digs (Fourth Highest Season Total All-Time)
-1,511 Assists (Fourth Highest Season Total All-Time)
-1,713 Kills (Fifth Highest Season Total All-Time)
-92 Block Solos (Eighth Highest Season Total All-Time)

Members of the 1997 Cowgirls squad set many single season records that also rank among the greatest single season performances in the history of Wyoming Volleyball:
-Vanessa Kiremidjian finished the season with 1,373 assists, the third highest single-season total in UW history.
-Jessica Zehr finished the season with 39 service aces. Zehr is tied with three other Cowgirls for tenth on the All-Time list for UW service aces in a single season.
-Melody Friehauf recorded 150 Blocks, the sixth highest single season total in UW history.
-Jami Laya’s 352 digs puts her in a tie with Mary Shea (1983) and Amanda Miller (2003) for the ninth highest season total in UW history.

AWARDS:

Following the victory over CSU, Jessica Zehr was named the WAC player of the week.

Earlier in the season, the first annual Mike English Women’s Volleyball Scholarship was awarded to Julie Overton, a Senior and native of Indianola, Iowa.

During the 1997 season, six Cowgirls were named WAC Scholar-Athletes AND Academic All-Conference High Country:
-Melody Friehauf (3.26 GPA in Math Education)
-Ty Marshall (3.36 GPA in Exercise Physiology)
-Julie Overton (3.89 GPA in PE Education)
-Anna Parmely (3.49 GPA in Marketing)
-Colette Perryman (3.20 GPA in Speech Pathology)
-Anne Stohrer (3.68 GPA in Speech Pathology)

Wyoming had only one All-Conference recipient in the 1997 season, Jami Laya, an Outside Hitter.  Laya made Second-Team Western Athletic All-Conference and would go on to be named WAC Mountain Division Player of the Year in 1998.

1997 IN SPORTS:

-The 1997 College Football National Champions were the Florida Gators.  The Gators defeated the Florida State Seminoles in the Sugar Bowl 52-20.
-The Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl XXXI over the New England Patriots 35-21. Desmond Howard was named the MVP.
-The Arizona Wildcats won the Men’s College Basketball Championship, an 84-79-overtime victory the Kentucky Wildcats.
-The Tennessee Lady Volunteers won the Women’s College Basketball Championship, defeating Old Dominion 68-59.
-The Chicago Bulls won their second consecutive NBA Championship (fifth in the decade).  In a best of 7 game series, the Bulls beat the Utah Jazz 4-2.
-Tiger Woods won the Masters Tournament by 12 strokes. Woods also won the PGA Tour Player of the Year and Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. (Woods turned 22 on December 30, 1997)
-The Stanley Cup is won by the Detroit Red Wings in 4 straight games over the Philadelphia Flyers.
-In men’s tennis, Pete Sampras wins the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
-In women’s tennis, Martina Hingis wins the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. Hingis was later named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year.
-The Florida Marlins won the World Series in 7 games over the Cleveland Indians.
-Stanford wins the Women’s College Volleyball Championship, 3 games to 2 over Penn State.

1997 POP CUTURE:

-Bill Clinton is inaugurated for his second term as President of the United States (January 20).
-Madeleine Albright becomes the first female Secretary of State (January 22).
-On February 22, scientists announce the successful cloning of a sheep named Dolly.
-At the 69^th Academy Awards on March 24, The English Patient wins Best Picture, Billy Crystal hosted the event.
-Tony Blair becomes Prime Minster of the United Kingdom on May 2.
-June 2, Timothy McVeigh is convicted of the Oklahoma City bombing.
-June 21, Rebecca Black is born.
-July 4, Pathfinder, the NASA probe lands on Mars.
-August 1, after a 12-year absence, Steve Jobs returns to Apple as CEO.
-August 31, Diana, Princess of Wales dies.
-September 5, Mother Teresa dies.
-October 12, John Denver dies.
-October 16, the New York Times displays a colored cover photo for the first time.
-December 19, Titanic premieres in America.