SWEETWATER COUNTY – While the bigger Sweetwater County High School volleyball teams came up on the losing end against some of the top teams over the weekend, the Lady Pronghorns took a page out of the football team’s playbook and were able to bring home first place in the bronze bracket at the Thermopolis Invitational.
A variety of 2A and 1A schools traveled to Thermopolis on Saturday including several of the top-ranked squads in the two divisions.  Pool play for the tournament was not in the best two out of three or three out of five formats like most invitationals. Due to this the coaches who are within the Wyoming Coaches Association reported those games do not count on a team’s record.
The teams were broken down into four brackets, gold, silver, bronze and titanium. Bracket play games were in the best two out of three format and did count on the team’s overall records.
Farson-Eden started play in the bronze bracket and dominated St. Stephens to open play. The Lady Pronghorns rolled in two straight sets, 25-8 and 25-7. The win moved them into the title game in the bronze bracket.
In the first-place contest, the Lady Pronghorns faced off against 2A Riverside. While the first game was a close battle, Farson-Eden was able to take the early set lead with a 25-23 win to open the title match. The close win fueled the ladies as they rolled in the second, 25-6, to take home the bronze first-place trophy.
The two wins in Thermopolis moved the Lady Pronghorn to 5-5 for the year including one conference loss. They will need to take all the momentum from the tournament win as they have their second conference game against division leading Encampment on Friday at home. Encampment brings a record of 11-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Encampment continued to win on Tuesday with a four set win over Walden, Colo., (25-16, 18-25, 25-18, 25-21).
Rock Springs Lady Tigers
For the Lady Tigers, it was a week full of conference contests. They opened play on Tuesday with a loss against Riverton and then dropped to top-ranked Kelly Walsh at home on Friday.
Rock Springs turned around after losing on Friday to hit the road for an afternoon contest at Natrona on Saturday. After facing No.1 Kelly Walsh on Friday, Saturday did not get any easier against Natrona who is ranked No. 3 in 4A. The Lady Tigers were close in most of the sets against Riverton and Kelly Walsh but just could not find a way to get those game-changing points. Against the Fillies, it was much of the same. Natrona won the first two sets 25-17 and 25-18 to jump up quick.
The Lady Tigers came back in the third game to fight off elimination and force a fourth set with a 25-18 win. It was all Natrona in the fourth as they closed out the match three sets to one with the 25-14 win.
The Lady Tigers will return to tournament play this weekend as most of the teams in the state will make their way to Casper for one of the biggest volleyball tournaments in the state. The Lady Tigers will play 1A Hulett, 4A Cheyenne East and 3A Wheatland on Friday. The Rock Springs Junior Varsity hava a match against 1A Kaycee on Friday. Saturday games will be announced after Friday play.
Green River Lady Wolves
The Lady Wolves also faced off against the two Casper teams on Friday and Saturday. Green River headed to No. 3 Natrona on Friday. The ladies kept it close in two sets but lost in three straight sets, 25-22, 25-15 and 25-22. The ladies then finally made it to their home court for the first time this season as they took on top-ranked Kelly Walsh. Green River started strong but lost the first set 25-21. Feeding on the energy from the crowd, the ladies were able to bounce back in game two and took the closest set of the match, 28-26.
After that, it was all Kelly Walsh as they took the match with a three sets to one win taking the final two sets, 25-9 and 25-13. Green River fell to 0-3 in the conference and 5-9 overall.
The Lady Wolves will also be headed back to Casper this weekend. For the ladies, the opening day of the Invite is one of the toughest. They open with 4A Laramie who are currently 3-12. From there it is a battle for the ladies. They face Douglas who is currently second in the 3A Northeast conference and then take on top-ranked 4A Kelly Walsh for the second weekend in a row. The Kelly Walsh match is a non-conference match. The Saturday schedule will be announced after play Friday.
Wyoming High School Volleyball Standings, Scores and Upcoming Schedule
Standings
Conference first followed by overall record
4A East
Cheyenne East 3-0, 14-2
Gillette 3-1, 11-5
Sheridan 2-2, 8-8
Cheyenne Central 1-2, 4-5
Laramie 0-2, 3-12
Cheyenne South 0-2, 3-11 (South was awarded 1 win, after Rapid City, SD Central admitted to using ineligible players and had to forfeit the game)
4A West
Kelly Walsh 4-0, 15-1
Natrona 4-0, 13-3
Riverton 1-2, 8-8
Rock Springs 1-3, 6-10
Evanston 0-2, 9-4
Green River 0-3, 5-9
3A Northeast
Newcastle 2-0, 11-6
Douglas 2-0, 10-7
Worland 0-2, 9-9
Buffalo 0-2, 8-9
3A Southeast
Rawlins 2-0, 11-5
Wheatland 1-1, 9-8 (Wheatland was awarded 2 wins, after Rapid City, SD Central admitted to using ineligible players and had to forfeit the games)
Torrington 0-1, 6-5
Glenrock 0-1, 0-16
3A Northwest
Powell 2-0, 15-2
Cody 1-1, 9-7
Lander 0-0, 3-6
Lovell 0-2, 15-4
3A Southwest
Mountain View 2-0, 12-3
Star Valley 1-0, 4-9
Jackson 0-1, 10-8
Pinedale 0-2, 1-9
2A Northeast
Big Horn 2-0, 12-4
Wright 1-0, 13-4
Tongue River 1-1, 5-12
Sundance 0-0, 4-9
Moorcroft 0-3, 1-8
2A Southeast
Southeast 3-0, 9-1
Burns 2-0, 8-3
Pine Bluffs 1-3, 7-4
Lusk 0-1, 6-4
Saratoga 0-2, 7-7
2A Northwest
Thermopolis 1-0, 14-5
Shoshoni 1-0, 8-5
Rocky Mountain 1-1, 5-8
Greybull 0-1, 7-6
Riverside 0-1, 1-8
2A Southwest
Lyman 2-0, 6-5
Wind River 2-1, 7-7
Kemmerer 1-1, 7-7
Big Piney 1-2, 5-6
Wyoming Indian 0-2, 2-8
1A Northeast
Hulett 3-0, 9-0
Upton 1-0, 4-4
Kaycee 1-1, 5-5
Midwest 1-3, 1-10
Arvada-Clearmont 0-2, 1-10
1A Southeast
H.E.M. 6-5
Rock River 4-5
Glendo 2-2
Lingle-Ft. Laramie 4-7
Guernsey-Sunrise 3-7
1A Northwest
Dubois 2-0, 5-4
Meeteetse 2-0, 2-13
Burlington 1-1, 2-9
St. Stephens 0-1, 0-8
Ten Sleep 0-3, 0-5
1A Southwest
Encampment 1-0, 10-1
Little Snake River 1-1, 7-2
Cokeville 0-0, 9-11
Farson-Eden 0-1, 5-5
Volleyball Scores
Friday, September 19
Class 4A
#1 Kelly Walsh 3, Rock Springs 0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-10)
#2 Cheyenne East 3, #4 Gillette 0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-22)
#3 Natrona 3, Green River 0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-22)
Cheyenne Central 3, #5 Sheridan 2 (25-16, 20-25, 16-25, 25-15, 15-7)
Riverton 3, Laramie 0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-13)
Class 3A
#1 Mountain View 3, Jackson 0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-15)
#3 Rawlins 3, Wheatland 0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-17)
Douglas 3, Worland 1 (25-12, 25-19, 18-25, 27-25)
Class 2A
#2 Big Horn 3, Moorcroft 0 (25-7, 25-18, 25-6)
#3 Southeast 3, Pine Bluffs 2 (25-21, 22-25, 25-27, 25-19, 15-6)
Tongue River 3, Moorcroft 0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-22)
Burns 3, Saratoga 0 (25-9, 25-15, 25-10)
Shoshoni 3, Greybull 0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-21)
Wind River 3, Big Piney 0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-7)
Class 1A
Midwest 3, Arvada-Clearmont 1 (25-21, 25-21, 12-25, 25-21)
H.E.M. 3, Glendo 0 (25-8, 25-17, 25-21)
Meeteetse 3, Ten Sleep 0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-11)
Inter-Class
(#4 3A) Lovell 3, Rocky Mountain 0 (25-8, 25-5, 25-14)
1A Lingle-Ft. Laramie 3, 2A Lusk 0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-15)
Saturday, September 20
Class 4A
#1 Kelly Walsh 3, Green River 1 (25-21, 26-28, 25-9, 25-13)
#2 Cheyenne East 3, #5 Sheridan 0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-20)
#3 Natrona 3, Rock Springs 1 (25-17, 25-18, 18-25, 25-14)
#4 Gillette 3, Cheyenne Central 0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-23)
Class 3A
#3 Rawlins 3, Torrington 0 (25-10, 26-24, 26-24)
Cody 3, #4 Lovell 2 (23-25, 22-25, 25-17, 28-26, 15-10)
#5 Newcastle 3, Worland 2 (17-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-13)
Douglas 3, Buffalo 1 (25-17, 26-28, 25-20, 25-18)
Jackson 3, Lander 0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-23)
Class 1A
#3 Encampment 3, Rock River 1 (25-12, 25-18, 22-25, 25-10)
Dubois 3, Ten Sleep 1 (25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 25-16)
Inter-Class
Star Valley Invitational
Bracket Play
4A Evanston 2, (#4 2A) Lyman 0 (21-11, 21-13)
(#2 1A) Cokeville 2, 2A Kemmerer 0 (21-16, 21-19)
Sugar-Salem, ID 2, 3A Star Valley 0 (21-13, 15-11)
(#1 3A) Mountain View 2, Malad, ID 0 21-10, 23-10
(#4 2A) Lyman 2, 2A Kemmerer 1 (21-13, 12-21, 15-7) (Non-Conference Game)
Malad, ID 2, 3A Star Valley 0 (21-17, 21-15)
4A Evanston 2, (#2 1A) Cokeville 0 (21-19, 21-14)
(#1 3A) Mountain View 2, Sugar-Salem, ID 0 (21-9, 24-22)
4A Evanston 2, (#1 3A) Mountain View 0 (21-19, 21-17) – 1st Place
Thermopolis Invitational
Gold Bracket
(#5 2A) Thermopolis 2, 2A Moorcroft 0 (26-24, 25-12)
2A Shoshoni 2, 2A Tongue River 0 (25-21, 25-22)
(#5 2A) Thermopolis 2, 2A Shoshoni 1 (16-25, 25-16, 15-13) – 1st Place (Non-Conference Game)
Silver Bracket
2A Wind River 2, (#4 1A) Little Snake River 1 (26-24, 23-25, 15-7)
2A Greybull 2, 2A Big Piney 0 (25-9, 25-13)
2A Wind River 2, 2A Greybull 0 (25-16, 25-20) – 1st Place
Bronze Bracket
2A Riverside 2, 2A Wyoming Indian 0 (25-20, 25-18)
1A Farson-Eden 2, 1A St. Stephens 0 (25-8, 25-7)
1A Farson-Eden 2, 2A Riverside 0 (25-23, 25-6) – 1st Place
Titanium Bracket
Thermopolis JV 2, 2A Rocky Mountain 0 (25-14, 25-15)
Little Snake River JV 2, 1A Meeteetse 0 (25-23, 25-20)
Lusk Invitational
Gold Bracket
(#1 1A) Hulett 2, 1A Lingle-Ft. Laramie 0 (25-11, 25-13)
Silver Bracket
2A Saratoga 2, 1A Guernsey-Sunrise 0 (25-20, 25-21)
(#3 2A) Southeast 2, 2A Lusk 0 (25-7, 29-27) (Non-Conference Game)
(#3 2A) Southeast 2, 2A Saratoga 0 (25-20, 25-15) – 1st Place (Non-Conference Game)
Tuesday, September 23
Class 4A
Cheyenne South 3, Laramie 0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-18)
Class 3A
Powell 3, Worland 0 (25-20, 25-14, 27-25)
Torrington 3, Scottsbluff, NE 2 (24-26, 20-25, 25-19, 25-12, 15-12)
Star Valley 3, Jackson 1 (25-16, 13-25, 25-22, 26-24)
Class 2A
Kemmerer 3, Big Piney 1 (25-15, 25-13. 23-25, 25-17)
Class 1A
Rock River 3, Glendo 0 (25-4, 25-8, 25-21)
Encampment 3, Walden, CO North Park 1 (25-16, 18-25, 25-18, 25-21)
This Week’s Match-ups
Wednesday, September 24
Star Valley at Montpelier, ID Bear Lake
Thursday, September 25
Class 3A
Worland at Cody
Glenrock at Torrington
Inter-Class
3A Newcastle at 2A Sundance
1A Cokeville at 3A Mountain View
1A Burlington at 2A Riverside
2A Wyoming Indian at 1A Dubois
Friday, September 26
Class 3A
Buffalo at Powell
Cody at Glenrock
Class 2A
Wright at Tongue River
Sundance at Moorcroft
Lusk at Burns
Wyoming Indian at Saratoga
Thermopolis at Greybull
Wind River at Lyman
Wind River at Kemmerer
Class 1A
H.E.M. at Rock River
Meeteetse at Dubois
St. Stephens at Ten Sleep
Encampment at Farson-Eden
Little Snake River at Manila, UT
Inter-Class
2A Shoshoni at 3A Lovell
1A Lingle-Ft. Laramie at 2A Southeast
Casper Invitational
4A Cheyenne East vs. 3A Wheatland
4A Riverton vs. 3A Rawlins
4A Natrona vs. 2A Big Horn
4A Kelly Walsh vs. 3A Douglas
4A Rock Springs vs. 1A Hulett
4A Cheyenne Central vs. 4A Gillette (Non-Conference Game)
4A Sheridan vs. 3A Lander
4A Laramie vs. 4A Green River
1A Kaycee vs. Rock Springs JV
1A Midwest vs. Sheridan JV
4A Cheyenne East vs. 4A Rock Springs
4A Riverton vs. 4A Cheyenne Central
4A Natrona vs. 4A Sheridan
4A Kelly Walsh vs. 4A Laramie
1A Hulett vs. 3A Wheatland
4A Gillette vs. 3A Rawlins
3A Lander vs. 2A Big Horn
4A Green River vs. 3A Douglas
1A Kaycee vs. Wheatland JV
1A Midwest vs. Big Horn JV
4A Cheyenne East vs. 1A Hulett
4A Riverton vs. 4A Gillette
4A Natrona vs. 3A Lander
4A Kelly Walsh vs. 4A Green River (Non-Conference Game)
1A Kaycee vs. Cheyenne East JV
1A Midwest vs. Natrona JV
4A Rock Springs vs. 3A Wheatland
4A Cheyenne Central vs. 3A Rawlins
4A Sheridan vs. 2A Big Horn
4A Laramie vs. 3A Douglas
Saturday, September 27
Class 3A
Cody at Buffalo
Gering, NE at Torrington
Powell at Jackson
Class 2A
Wright at Sundance
Moorcroft at Belle Fourche, SD
Moorcroft vs. Hot Springs, SD (at Belle Fourche, SD)
Moorcroft vs. Presho, SD Lyman (at Belle Fourche, SD)
Saratoga at Lusk
Pine Bluffs at Potter-Dix, NE (Opponents TBA)
Burns at Potter-Dix, NE (Opponents TBA)
Greybull at Rocky Mountain
Riverside at Shoshoni
Thermopolis at Wind River
Class 1A
Arvada-Clearmont at Meeteetse
Upton vs. Spearfish, SD (at Belle Fourche, SD)
Upton vs. Martin, SD Bennett County (at Belle Fourche, SD)
Upton vs. Bowman, ND (at Belle Fourche, SD)
Burlington at Dubois
Burlington at St. Stephens
Hayden, CO at Little Snake River
Inter-Class
3A Pinedale at 2A Kemmerer
1A Guernsey-Sunrise at 2A Southeast
Casper Invitational
Matchups TBA
Teams Participating: 4A Kelly Walsh, 4A Natrona, 4A Riverton, 4A Rock Springs, 4A Green River, 4A Cheyenne East, 4A Cheyenne Central, 4A Laramie, 4A Gillette, 4A Sheridan, 3A Douglas, 3A Wheatland, 3A Rawlins, 3A Lander, 2A Big Horn, 1A Hulett, 1A Kaycee, 1A Midwest
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