LARAMIE — The Wyoming Cowgirls opened Mountain West play with a pair of home losses to UTEP, falling in three sets Friday before dropping a four-set decision to the Miners on Saturday.

UTEP won Friday’s opener 25-18, 25-21, 25-19 behind a .359 hitting percentage and a 12-4 advantage in team blocks. Wyoming hit .132 in the match, while the Miners recorded the only service ace. Rylee Heinz led the Cowgirls with seven kills while hitting .500 and added three blocks. Ruby Jensen had six kills on 10 swings, while Reagan Sharp also finished with six kills. Paige Lauterwasser and Emma Winter each added five kills.

Sara Quigley and Maddy Stucky each finished with 14 assists for Wyoming, while Addy Thorington led the Cowgirls with eight digs. Peyton Carruth added seven digs off the bench.

The Cowgirls returned Saturday and pushed UTEP to four sets, but the Miners closed the weekend with a 25-21, 25-22, 24-26, 25-16 victory. The match marked a milestone for Lauterwasser, who entered the night 11 kills shy of 1,000 career kills and reached the mark with a 12-kill performance. She also recorded 10 digs for a double-double.

Lauterwasser led Wyoming offensively, while Heinz and Abi Milby added seven kills apiece. Milby hit .417 and set a season high with her seven kills, while Heinz led the Cowgirls with four blocks. Stucky led Wyoming with 17 assists and added a career-high four service aces. Thorington also set a career high with three aces, and Wyoming finished with eight aces as a team.

Rya Fingerlin led the Cowgirls with 11 digs, while Quigley added 13 assists and seven digs. Carruth contributed five digs and one ace.

Wyoming hit .100 as a team Saturday, while UTEP hit .283 and held a 15-7 advantage in team blocks.

The Cowgirls fell to 7-6 overall and 0-2 in Mountain West play. Wyoming will play its first conference road matches next week, traveling to California to face San Jose State on Thursday, Oct. 1, and Saturday, Oct. 3.