LARAMIE — The Wyoming Cowgirls will hit the road for the first time this season this weekend when they travel to Salt Lake City for the Utah/BYU Nike Invitational, looking to build on a 2-0 start to the 2026 season.
Wyoming opens the tournament against host Utah at 7 p.m. Friday before facing Eastern Illinois at noon Saturday and Long Beach State at noon Sunday. All three matches will be played in Salt Lake City.
The Cowgirls opened the season last weekend at the Rumble in the Rockies, defeating Texas Tech in four sets before sweeping St. Thomas. Paige Lauterwasser led Wyoming with 27 kills, an average of 3.86 per set, and 4.14 points per set while hitting .500. Her performance earned her Old Trapper Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week honors Monday, and she also reached 1,000 career points in Wyoming’s win over St. Thomas.
Emma Winter also had a strong opening weekend, recording 20 kills while hitting .559. Rya Fingerlin averaged 4.14 digs per set in the back row, while Sara Quigley and Maddy Stucky finished the two victories with 43 and 34 assists, respectively. Four Cowgirls recorded two service aces over the weekend.
Wyoming’s offensive performance against St. Thomas was particularly notable, as the Cowgirls hit .437 as a team, their highest single-match hitting percentage since 2014.
Through the opening weekend, Wyoming leads the Mountain West in five statistical categories. The Cowgirls are averaging 13.57 kills and 12.43 assists per set while hitting .345 as a team and limiting opponents to a .147 hitting percentage. Wyoming also leads the conference with 2.29 blocks per set.
Several Cowgirls rank among the Mountain West’s individual leaders. Winter leads the conference in hitting percentage, with Lauterwasser ranking second. Reagan Sharp leads the league with 1.20 blocks per set, while Rylee Heinz ranks second at 1.14. Lauterwasser is third in both kills and points per set, while Fingerlin ranks second in digs per set.
Utah enters the weekend at 3-0 after its opening weekend. The Utes are led offensively by Loryn Helgesen, Kamryn Gibadlo and Ashley West, who have recorded 43, 35 and 21 kills, respectively. Helgesen is hitting .443, while West is hitting .459. Izzy Mogridge leads Utah with 82 assists, averaging 9.11 per set.
As a team, the Utes are hitting .278 and averaging 2.78 blocks per set while holding opponents to a .139 attack percentage.
Eastern Illinois enters the tournament with a 1-2 record after making the NCAA Tournament last season. Both of the Panthers’ losses have come on the road. Katie Kopshever leads Eastern Illinois with 41 kills, while Peyton Castillo is averaging 7.64 assists per set. Emma Hanson leads the Panthers with 15 total blocks.
Long Beach State is 0-2 entering the weekend, with both losses coming against UCLA. Sidney Hamaker leads the Beach with 27 kills and five total blocks, while Madi Maxwell has recorded 51 assists and is averaging a team-high 4.71 digs per set. Hamaker has a team-high three service aces, while Maxwell has two.
Wyoming will look to carry the momentum from its undefeated opening weekend into its first road matches of the season in Salt Lake City.
