Brown and Gold Scrimmage to Wrap up Preseason for UW Volleyball

Cowgirls open 2015 campaign against No. 14 Ohio State

LARAMIE – Head coach Chad Callihan and the Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team will conclude preseason practices with the annual Brown and Gold scrimmage, on Friday, Aug. 21 in the UniWyo Sports Complex.

The match is set to begin at 6:30 p.m., and will be free and open to the public. Since Aug. 10th, the Cowgirls have held either one or two practices per day to prepare for the upcoming season.

Callihan welcomes back six players who had starting roles and three other letterwinners from last year’s team that finished with a 23-8 overall record and a 12-6 mark in the Mountain West. Of the returning players, senior Bridget Shanahan and junior Laura Beach were each named All-MW selections for the first time last season.

Shanahan and Beach will be joined by veterans in seniors Kayla Henderson and Allison Waldvogel as well as juniors Courtney Chacon and Kayla Slofkiss. In all, the Cowgirls consist of three seniors, three juniors, three sophomores and seven freshmen.

To begin the season, Wyoming will host The Rumble in the Rockies Aug. 28-29, as UW welcomes Ohio State, South Dakota and Butler. The Cowgirls will open the season on Aug. 28 in the Arena-Auditorium against the Buckeyes at 6:30 p.m. MT.

The Buckeyes are ranked 14th in the 2015 AVCA preseason poll. Ohio State made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament a year ago and finished the 2014 season with a 23-12 record.

South Dakota finished the 2014 season with a 19-12 record and fell to the IUPUI Jaguars in the Summit League Tournament semifinals a year ago, while Butler posted a 20-10 record last year and were recently picked to finish fifth in the Big East preseason poll.

Wyoming Soccer Kicks Off 2015 Season; The Cowgirls will battle the Griz in first regular-season match

LARAMIE, Wyo. (Aug. 19, 2015) – The University of Wyoming women’s soccer team will open the 2015 season on Friday with a road match at the University of Montana. Kickoff for the season opener in Missoula, Mont. is set for 5:30 p.m. MT.

Wyoming was picked to finish third by the league coaches in the Mountain West Preseason Poll released on Monday. The Cowgirls finished last season with an 11-9-1 record and an 8-3 mark in the conference. UW is looking to keep the momentum going after winning both exhibition games to open the season. UW beat the Omaha, 3-2, and Colorado School of Mines, 3-0, with both matches taking place in Laramie.

“We’re just ready to play,” Wyoming head coach Pete Cuadrado said. “The team is excited and we want to get out and see how we do in a game that matters.”

Wyoming returns a talented group from last season. The Cowgirls’ roster features youth with 18 under classmen, but UW also returns experience with eight returning starters. Sophomore midfielder Alisha Bass, who started all 21 matches and notched five goals, six assists and 16 points will play a key role for Wyoming this season.

Another experienced player is junior forward Laurel Ramer, as she tallied 15 starts with three goals, three assists and 9 points. MW Freshman and Offensive Player of the Year Kaitlyn Lomsnes looks to build off a strong rookie season. In 13 starts she had 10 goals, four assists and 24 points earning All-MW First Team honors. She was also tabbed the 40th Best Freshman in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

A look at the Griz: Montana returns eight starters after going 12-6-2 overall and unbeaten in the Big Sky Conference to win the regular-season title in 2014. Montana was picked second in the 2015 Big Sky Preseason Conference Coaches’ Poll.

Individually, the Grizzlies return one All-Big Sky first teamer in sophomore forward Hallie Widner. Three other returners were placed on the All-Big Sky Second Team in forward Mackenzie Akins, defender Tess Brenneman and goalie Kailey Norman.

“Every time we play Montana it seems like it’s a one-goal game. We know that we will have our hands full but we are excited to play.” – UW Head Coach Pete Cuadrado

Montana holds a 5-3-1 all-time record against Wyoming with the last meeting going in favor of the Cowgirls, 1-0 last season in Laramie. Friday’s match will mark the second time in three seasons that Wyoming has opened the season in Missoula, Mont. It is also the second time under Cuadrado that the Cowgirls have faced-off against the Griz in the season opener.