LARAMIE — The Wyoming Cowgirls opened the UniWyo Invite with a five-set victory over UC Santa Barbara before dropping their final two matches of the weekend to South Dakota and Colorado State.

Wyoming opened the tournament Thursday by outlasting UC Santa Barbara in a five-set thriller, 25-21, 24-26, 27-25, 15-25, 15-6. The opening three sets featured 33 ties and 15 lead changes, with the second and third sets going beyond the standard 25 points. Wyoming trailed 22-18 in the third set and faced four set points before rallying to tie the score at 24-24. After UCSB regained the lead, the Cowgirls scored the final three points to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Wyoming then led wire to wire in the fifth set, taking a 4-1 lead and later using a 7-1 run to build a 11-4 advantage before closing the match with the final four points.

Rylee Heinz, Paige Lauterwasser and Addy Thorington each finished with 10 kills to lead a balanced Wyoming attack. Heinz hit .333 and recorded a match-high six blocks, while Lauterwasser added 13 digs for her second double-double of the season. Rya Fingerlin led Wyoming with 14 digs, while Maddy Stucky recorded 11 digs and 18 assists for a double-double. Sara Quigley led the Cowgirls with 20 assists, and Peyton Carruth added a career-high four service aces and 11 digs off the bench. Wyoming held a 13-8 advantage in team blocks and a 9-4 edge in service aces.

The Cowgirls returned to the court Friday and saw their eight-match home winning streak come to an end with a four-set loss to South Dakota, 25-15, 25-17, 15-25, 25-20. After dropping the first two sets, Wyoming answered by winning the third, but South Dakota broke a 14-14 tie in the fourth set with six consecutive points and went on to close out the match. Lauterwasser led Wyoming with 14 kills and hit .313 while adding 13 digs for her second consecutive double-double and third of the season. Emma Winter had 10 kills, Rya Fingerlin recorded 14 digs, and Heinz added eight kills while hitting .412. Anna Williams finished with a career-best six blocks, while Quigley led the Cowgirls with 23 assists and Stucky added 12.

Wyoming closed the tournament Saturday against Colorado State, falling in three sets, 25-18, 25-14, 25-15. Winter led the Cowgirls with seven kills while hitting .500, with Heinz adding six kills and Thorington and Williams contributing five each. Williams made her first career start and hit .455 while leading Wyoming with three blocks. Quigley had 17 assists, Stucky added 10 assists, Fingerlin recorded nine digs, and Carruth finished with four digs, an ace and a kill.

The Cowgirls finished the weekend 4-4 overall and will close their nonconference schedule next week at the Idaho State Tournament. Wyoming opens the tournament Thursday at 4 p.m. against Boise State.