* University of Wyoming press release

LARAMIE -- The Wyoming volleyball team travels to California for a pair of road matches this week, looking to get back on the winning tract. The Cowgirls face San Diego State at 8 p.m., MT October 13 and close with an Oct. 15 contest at 2 p.m., against Fresno State.

UW (6-12, 2-4 MW) is looking to continue its strong play on the road in Mountain West play in 2022, having won each of its previous road conference contests in five sets.

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The Cowgirls are coming off a pair of home losses last week, losing in four sets to conference-leading San Jose State before dropping a five-setter against Nevada. Naya Shimé led the team with 33 kills in the two matches, including her third 20-plus kill output of the season in the loss against the Wolf Pack, recording 23 kills.

Hailey Zuroske notched a career-best 25 digs against Nevada while Teresa Garza recorded her first-career double-double in the contest, tallying 11 kills and 10 digs. Kasia Partyka, meanwhile, tied a career-best with 59 assists. Partyka is averaging 10.58 assists per set during league play in 2022, a mark that ranks second-best in the league.

Shimé enters the week ranking third in the Mountain West in league-only matches with 4.15 kills per set, while her 4.43 points per ranks fourth-best.

Tierney Barlow is hitting .398 in Wyoming’s six conference matches, which is third in the MW. The Cowgirls are looking to continue their recent success against San Diego State, having won six-straight matches in the series.

However, UW, has just four wins in San Diego in program history. Wyoming is 6-11 all-time at Fresno State.

San Diego State is well-balanced offensively, with four student-athletes recording more than 100 kills. Mikela Labno leads the Aztecs with 148 kills while Kayla Rivera and Madison Corf have 137 and 136 kills, respectively.

Heipua Tautua'a has 129 kills in 2022. SDSU deploys a two-setter rotation and is led by Noa Miller's 306 assists while Sarena Gonzalez has a team-best 4.93 assists per set. McKenna Douglas is second in the league during conference play averaging 0.45 service aces per set while Julia Haynie is hitting .344, a mark that ranks fifth-best in the Mountain West.

Douglas, ranks 10th averaging 3.14 digs per set this season. As a team, the Aztecs are hitting .183 overall and allowing opponents to hit at a .269 clip. San Diego State is 3-6 at home this season.

Fresno State is led by Ella Rud's 219 kills in 2022. Rud ranks 10th in the MW in conference-only matches averaging 3.18 kills per set. Brooke Cowie, meanwhile, is 10th in the conference in league-only matches averaging 5.04 assists per set.

Defensively, the Bulldogs are led by Kasey Purry's 1.26 blocks per set and 72 overall blocks on the season. In the back row, Sydney Gazzaniga is leading the Aztecs with 3.36 digs per set. The Bulldogs are led by Interim Head Coach, Abbie Wright. FSU is 2-4 at home in 2022.

How Many Medals Have Wyoming-Born Athletes Won at the Olympics?

Wyoming isn't represented on Team USA for the 2020 (in 2021) Olympics in Tokyo. But, athletes born in Wyoming have competed for the gold a handful of times over the last century.

According to the folks at BeenVerified.com, seven Wyoming-born Olympians have competed on the world's largest stage.

Since the 1932 LA games, these competitors earned four Olympic medals; one gold, two silver, and a bronze. Wrestling, Track and Field, and Rowing are the evens where Wyoming-natives have shined.



- How Many Medals Have Wyoming-Born Athletes Won at the Olympics?

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