LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming soccer and volleyball teams suffered road losses Saturday, while the Cowboys basketball team closed its exhibition schedule with a victory at the Arena-Auditorium.
Soccer
The Cowgirls soccer team fell 2-1 to Mountain West-leading Colorado College in Colorado Springs, and Wyoming volleyball lost a five-set battle at Grand Canyon despite career-high performances from Paige Lauterwasser and Sara Quigley. The Cowboys defeated the College of Idaho 76-61 in Laramie to finish exhibition play with a 2-1 record.
Wyoming soccer dropped to 11-4-1 overall and 4-2-1 in Mountain West play following Saturday’s loss at Stewart Field. Colorado College improved to 8-4-4 overall and 6-0-1 in conference play, strengthening its position atop the league standings.
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The Tigers controlled the first half, scoring twice to establish a 2-0 lead. Ella Ashouri opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a free kick from just outside the penalty area. Bella Stewart added a penalty kick in the 35th minute after another Wyoming foul.
The Cowgirls found the net in the 90th minute when Alyssa Glover assisted Lauren Westwood off a corner kick. Westwood’s goal was her third of the season, while Glover recorded her 69th career point to tie the program record.
Wyoming finished with an 18-12 advantage in shots and dominated the second half with a 10-2 edge in attempts. Maddie Burr led all players with seven shots. Goalkeeper Haley Bartel made four saves, matching Colorado College goalkeeper Regan Wallace.
The Cowgirls will close their regular-season road schedule Wednesday against Grand Canyon at GCU Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Mountain time.
Volleyball
Wyoming volleyball also came up short against Grand Canyon, falling 25-20, 17-25, 24-26, 30-28 and 15-9 Saturday in Phoenix.
Lauterwasser delivered a career-high 25 kills, surpassing her previous best of 23 set in 2024 against Utah State. Quigley recorded a career-high 61 assists, the most by a Wyoming player in a match since Marissa Harmon had 61 against Boise State on Oct. 7, 2017.
The Cowgirls responded after losing the opening set, using an 11-2 run in the second to turn an early deficit into a 20-14 lead before evening the match. Wyoming then won a tightly contested third set and pushed the fourth beyond regulation before Grand Canyon scored the final two points to force a deciding set.
The Lopes took control in the fifth to secure the victory. Grand Canyon hit .298 compared with Wyoming’s .234 and held an 88-76 advantage in digs, while the Cowgirls led 7-1 in service aces.
Addy Thorington added a career-high 17 kills for Wyoming, while Emma Winter finished with 13 and Ruby Jensen had 10. Quigley also contributed 11 digs and three blocks. Winter recorded career highs with 17 digs and three service aces, while Lauterwasser added 16 digs and Peyton Carruth had 14.
Wyoming will finish its four-match road swing next week with two matches at Nevada, beginning Thursday at 7 p.m. Mountain time.
Basketball
The Cowboys provided the bright spot for Wyoming Athletics on Saturday, defeating the College of Idaho 76-61 before just over 3,000 fans at the Arena-Auditorium. The victory improved Wyoming to 2-1 in exhibition play ahead of its regular-season opener.
Wyoming shot 51% from the field and held the Yotes to 39%. The Cowboys carried a 33-26 lead into halftime before finding more success offensively in the second half, shooting 62% from the field and making five of their six 3-pointers.
Wyoming struggled from beyond the arc in the first half, making just one 3-pointer. Gavin Gores led the Cowboys with nine points before halftime, while three teammates added seven points apiece.
College of Idaho was led by Rey Johnston, who finished with 21 points and a game-high nine rebounds. The Yotes committed 20 fouls, but Wyoming converted just 64% of its free throws.
Cowboys coach Sundance Wicks said his team needed to respond with greater toughness after College of Idaho challenged Wyoming throughout the contest.
Wyoming will officially open its regular season Tuesday, Nov. 3, against Regis. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
