Halie McArdle had 11 kills to lead the Wyoming Cowgirls past a scrappy Nevada Wolfpack squad in a 3-0 sweep last Saturday in the UniWyo Sports Complex.

Wyoming improved to 10-4 on the season and 2-0 to start conference play.

Reed Copeland had 11 total blocks, while Madi Fields added 21 digs. Six Cowgirls had four or more kills in the match. The team finished with a .215 hitting percentage.

Wyoming head coach Chad Callihan wasn’t too pleased, despite the 3-0 win.

“We just weren’t as crisp as we needed to be. We keep talking about wanting to be a championship team, and I’m not saying we’re not out there trying, but we’re not as focused on giving a championship effort in that regard. We’re going to have to figure it out, but we were fortunate to get out of here with a win today.”

The first two sets featured 24 ties and eight lead changes. In set one, Wyoming and Nevada were tied at 19-19, when UW rattled off four straight points. Back came the Wolfpack, but the Cowgirls held on for a 25-23 victory.

Nevada (7-6, 0-2) jumped out early in the second set. The Wolfpack had an early 6-3 lead, but UW battled back and tied it at 8-8. The set went back-and-forth with a total of six lead changes and 13 ties. Tied at 21-21, Copeland had a key block that led to Wyoming scoring four of the last six points. The Cowgirls took the set 25-23.

In set three, it was UW that got out to an 8-2 lead. It grew to 16-7, but Nevada didn’t go away. The Wolfpack pulled within 19-16 before a timeout by the Cowgirls. Wyoming finally finished it off with a kill from McArdle and a 25-22 victory for the sweep.

McArdle said this match tested their poise.

“It felt like the whole match was close, whether we were winning or losing, or whether we were tied. Part of our strategy this year is staying calm no matter what the score is or who is on the other side of the net, and grinding through each point whether it goes our way or their way.”

The Cowgirls are on the road for their next two Mountain West matches at Fresno State Thursday and at San Diego State Saturday.

Cowgirl Soccer

Wyoming opened Mountain West Conference play on the road with a pair matches last Friday and Sunday. They split their first weekend of league action.

On Friday night, UW held a 1-0 lead at halftime but lost at San Diego State 2-1. Annika Clayton scored in the 29th minute of action. The Aztecs responded in the 69th and 72nd minutes of play for the victory.

The Cowgirls bounced back with a 3-2 victory at New Mexico on Sunday afternoon.

Junior Summer Taube scored twice, which included the game-winner in the 84th minute.

The Lobos scored early, but UW answered with a penalty kick goal in the 14th minute which made it 1-1. That was the score at halftime. In the second stanza, New Mexico took a 2-1 lead in the 48th minute. Senior Brittney Stark tied it with a goal eight minutes later. Taube scored the game-winner on a rebound after a shot on goal by senior Alyssa Murray.

The Cowgirls are 6-2-2 on the season and 1-1 in the MW. They play at Utah State and Boise State next weekend.

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