Cowgirl soccer blanks Western Michigan

UW freshman Carmen Blume

by UW Media Relations

Freshman Carmen Blume scored an early goal to give the Cowgirls the 1-0 win on Sunday afternoon over Western Michigan at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex. Blume’s goal proved to be the game winner and the first goal of her Wyoming career.

Wyoming advances to 2-1 overall with the win while Western Michigan falls to 0-2.

“I was very pleased with the backs limiting the chances for Western Michigan,” said UW head coach Danny Sanchez. “It appeared both teams were starting to get heavy legs towards the end, but we got the early goal to give us two shut out wins this weekend.”

Blume’s goal came at the 21 minute, 28-second mark after senior Emma Wilson cleared the ball ahead. Blume was able to track down the ball in front of the WMU defenders and lift the ball over goalkeeper Julia Francy to give UW the 1-0 lead. The Cowgirls added more chances in the first half by taking five shots on goal.

In the second half, the Cowgirl defense was strong and made some key plays. Senior Emily Layton blocked a Bronco shot that saved a goal and freshman goalkeeper Courtney Merkle made a diving save at the 29:32 mark to keep the shut out intact. Merkle had three saves in the game, while Francy made 10.

Wyoming took 15 shots total, while Western Michigan took 10 for the game. After two straight home games, the Cowgirls will be on the road next weekend, Friday in Orem, Utah, (4 p.m.) against Utah Valley State and Sunday in Ogden, Utah, against Utah State (1 p.m.)

Idaho State drops Cowgirls in four games

The Wyoming Cowgirls struggled for the first time this season -- at the wrong time -- falling to Idaho State in four games Saturday night in the championship match of the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic at the UniWyo Sports Complex.

Idaho State, which finished 3-0 in the season-opening tournament, stopped Wyoming 25-20, 25-22, 18-25 and 25-17. The loss was the first of the season for the Cowboys, who beat Rutgers in three games and South Dakota State in four games on Friday.

“Obviously, we are very disappointed in getting to the championship match and falling just short,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “We just never seemed to get into a rhythm in the match. Overall, I was pleased with the play of Jodi Purdy and Jessica Kagarise all weekend. They both did a tremendous job. We just need to get back into the gym and continue to improve and get better as a team.”

The Cowgirls were led by Purdy, a true freshman, who recorded her first career double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs. She was followed by freshman Jadranka Tramosljanin and junior Lauren Whitney with seven kills each. Senior libero Jessica Kagarise finished with a career high 19 digs, while Tramosljanin added 11. Wyoming struggled offensively, hitting .077 (41-30-142) for the match.

Idaho State was led by Jaclyn Hone with a team-high 15 kills and 15 digs. She was followed by Emily Waldron with 13 kills and 12 digs. The Bengals hit .161 (48-26-137) for the match, while out-blocking the Cowgirls 10-5.

Wyoming will return to action at home next week as they host the UniWyo Cowgirl Invite, Friday and Saturday.
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All-Tournament Team
Emily Waldron Idaho State MVP
Jaclyn Hone Idaho State
Karissa Legaux Idaho State
Kelly Fiegen South Dakota State
Caitlin Saxton Rutgers
Jodi Purdy Wyoming
Jessica Kagarise Wyoming

Cowgirl soccer blanks Hartford

by UW Media Relations

The University of Wyoming soccer team kicked off its home schedule with a 2-0 win over Hartford Friday at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.

With the victory the Cowgirls are 1-1 overall, while the Hawks drop to 0-1.

"It was great to get the first goal of the game. We had a chance earlier that hit the post, but we were still able to get the first goal of the game," said head coach Danny Sanchez. "I was very pleased with the game overall. We made some second half adjustments and were able to add that second goal."

The first goal of the game came from freshman Olivia Mohtadi, who found the back of the net at the 26:33 mark. It was the first goal of Mohtadi’s Cowgirl career. Fellow freshman Carmen Blume added the assist, her first as a Cowgirl.

Wyoming kept the pressure on Hartford in the second half, allowing only two shots. Mohtadi scored her second goal of the game off a corner kick that was taken by Blume. Senior Emma Wilson knocked down the pass and Mohtadi finished the play. Freshman Courtney Merkle played the entire game at goalkeeper and made two saves.

The Cowgirls took 12 shots for the game while Hartford had seven, and took eight corner kicks to the Hawks two.

Wyoming will look to continue the momentum on Sunday when they play Western Michigan. Kickoff will be at noon at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.

Cowgirls open with a pair of volleyball wins

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming freshman Camille Coffman, left, and Dani Bedore get ready for the serve Friday against Rutgers in the first match of the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

For the first time in their very young careers, seven newcomers stepped out on the court Friday morning for the Wyoming volleyball team in the season opening UniWyo Cowgirl Classic against Rutgers.

Sure, there were some early jitters, but once the whistle blew and the hand smacked the ball for the first time, those young Cowgirls were all business in the 25-17, 25-17 and 25-13 victory over the Scarlet Knights.

Wyoming came back later Friday night for a little tougher go of it from South Dakota State, but still prevailed in four games, 25-16, 23-25, 26-24 and 25-20.

“I was pretty impressed with how calm they seemed on the court,” Wyoming head coach Carrie Yerty said Friday morning. “There were a few butterflies going on in the locker room, but they were pretty fired up. It’s been a long preseason, facing the same people across the net. It was really exciting for them to get out there and see somebody new.”

Wyoming freshman middle blocker Camille Coffman admitted that she was pretty nervous going into her first collegiate match.

“I woke up probably every hour last night just thinking about it. But once I got out on the court, it was just ‘go time,’ I guess,” Coffman said. “After my first hit or block, I was like, ‘All right, I can do this, I’m ready.”

Fellow freshman outside hitter Jodi Purdy said she had mixed feelings about playing for the first time.

“I was really nervous because it was my first time in a (Division 1) game," Purdy said. “But I was so excited and we were working so hard in practice, we just wanted somebody else to play. We had been scrimmaging, but it is not the same.”

Purdy and Coffman certainly showed why this recruiting class has Yerty excited about the possibilities this season. The 6-foot-3 Coffman finished with six kills, hitting .417, and dominated the net with six block assists.

“I feel I can be a presence at the net and get a lot of blocks and help out our team a lot,” Coffman said.

The Cowgirls finished with 10 team blocks, including one solo block and 18 assisted blocks. Rutgers had 25 kills in the game, but 26 hitting errors for a negative .010 average.

“Our outside blockers did a good job of identifying what was coming and our blockers did an awesome job of closing and getting over the net,” Yerty said. “We pretty much took them out their offense by digging balls and blocking.”

Purdy showed a powerful swing and led the team with 11 kills and a .643 hitting percentage. She was especially effective in the third game with six kills on seven attempts.

“It’s so exciting when you get that perfect set or a block and you pound it. You get everyone going, and especially you get going. It’s a great feeling,” Purdy said. “It’s good to know that my teams is there to back me up. If I’m down, they are there and visa verse. I’m there for them, too.”

The Cowgirls basically dominated all three games, although the first two games were fairly close early. Each time out, though, Wyoming put together a three- or four-point run and never looked back.

Yerty, while very pleased with her newcomers, also credited the veteran Cowgirls -- juniors Dani Bedore, Lauren Whitney and JennaRae Jester, along with senior Jessica Kagarise -- for keeping the team together if there was a slight swing in momentum.

“They did a nice job of staying calm on the court, providing the stability that when it does get a little rocky, there is a calmness to the team,” Yerty said. “They did a great job of battling back and forth and playing each point at a time.”

The Cowgirls finished with 36 kills in the three games, hitting .329 as a team. Bedore also had seven kills, with Whitney and Jester adding six and five each. Junior transfer Barbara Lasic had an outstanding game at setter with 33 assists.

“Barbara, our setter, did an incredible job of mixing up our offense," Yerty said. “I don’t think they could seem to figure out where she was going most of the time, which opened up all of our hitters to be successful. They are being aggressive.”

Six of the eight Cowgirl freshmen saw their first action, with four on the court together at one point of time.

“I think all of us freshmen are pretty confident. We got a lot of work done in the preseason. I think we all feel calm about it,” Coffman said.

Added Purdy: “We did a really good job of staying focused. We calmed down and got the nerves out."

Against the Jackrabbits, the Cowgirls made the plays late to pull out the victory.

Wyoming had three players in double figures, led by Jester with 11 kills and three blocks, while hitting .769 (11-1-13). Coffman added 11 kills and six blocks, while Purdy finished with 11 kills and seven digs. The Cowgirls hit .188 (53-28-133) for the match.

South Dakota State was led by Kelli Fiegen with 19 kills, two blocks and a .324 (19-7-37) hitting percentage. She was followed by Fiona Jones with 12 kills and six digs. The Jackrabbits hit .128 (45-28-133) fro the match.

“Tonight, South Dakota State was a very tough opponent,” Yerty said. “I think our team stayed very composed during runs from the other side of the net. Jandranka (Tramosljanin)came in, did a good job passing and had some nice kills. JennaRae hit unbelievable tonight, and Camille Coffman did a nice job blocking. I’m proud of them for just battling all night.”

Wyoming closes the tournament against Idaho State Bengals Saturday at 7 p.m.
　

Cowgirl soccer to host Hartford

Cowgirl volleyball to open with home tourney

by UW Media Relations

The University of Wyoming soccer team will look to defend its home field this Friday for the first time against Hartford at 4 p.m. The Cowgirls will also host Western Michigan on Sunday at noon.

"We are excited to open the home portion of our schedule with two quality opponents in Hartford and Western Michigan," said head coach Danny Sanchez. "Both of these teams did well in their conference play last fall so we know they will be tests for us to see where we are at."

The Cowgirls and Hawks will meet for the first time ever on Friday. Hartford returns 11 letterwinners and eight starters from last years squad that finished with an overall record of 8-6-5 overall.

Last season, Wyoming opened up the season at Western Michigan and lost 3-1. Before coming to Laramie, the Broncos will play their first regular season game of 2009 at Northern Colorado.

Wyoming began the season last week against Denver and fell short 1-0. Senior Emily Layton and freshman Olivia Mohtadi led the Cowgirls with three shots each.

On Sunday, members of LSA/Blizzard, and other statewide soccer organizations, including the Olympic Development Program, will be invited to attend. Following the game, there will be a BBQ hosted for all soccer players in attendance and their families, as well as an autograph session with Cowgirl players and Pistol Pete. All players receive free admittance when they wear their game uniform.

Cowgirl volleyball looks to make a move

Richard Anderson photos
Cowgirl volleyball coach Carrie Yerty (top, center) begins her second year at the helm.

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Cowgirl soccer to host Hartford
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By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The transition year is over for Carrie Yerty and the Wyoming volleyball program.

Now in her second season as head coach, it was a struggle at times, as the Cowgirls finished just 5-20 on the season and 4-12 in Mountain West Conference play. But with a solid corps of veterans back and one of the more talented recruiting classes in recent history, Wyoming looks to begin the climb back to volleyball respectability.

Yerry said she looks for this team to compete in every match because they have a more athletic team than last year.

“Last year we were a very different team. We focused on making the experience as positive as possible and really providing the girls with the freedom just to play and enjoy their experience,” Yerty said. “We’re getting down to business right now. We know as a group that our goal is win matches and to really elevate the University of Wyoming as a team that can compete in in our conference and out of conference. For us, we’re coming to play.”

The Cowgirls will get that chance to play on Friday when they host the first of two straight preseason tournaments -- the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic. Also competing will be Rutgers, Idaho State and South Dakota State. Next week, Wyoming will host the UniWyo Cowgirl Invite that also includes Montana State, North Dakota and Fresno State.

Wyoming takes on Rutgers Friday at 10 a.m. and South Dakota State at 7 p.m., before closing the tournament on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Idaho State.

“We’re really excited to open up at home,” Yerty said. “We’re excited to play back-to-back at home, which is nice. That allows our new kids to feel more comfortable in their home environment. It allows them the opportunity to get adjusted at school prior to heading out on the road."

The Cowgirls return three starters from last season -- all juniors -- opposite hitter Dani Bedore (3.06 kills per game), middle blocker JennaRae jester (1.88 kpg) and outside hitter Lauren Whitney (2.90 kpg). Also back is senior libero Jessica Kagarise.

Wyoming’s talented recruiting class includes junior transfer setter Barbara Lasic and nine freshmen. They include red shirt freshman libero Nikky Sapp and true freshmen Makenzie Bartsch (middle blocker), Camille Coffman (middle blocker, opposite hitter), Brianna Crowe (libero), Calli Miller (outside hitter), Jodi Purdy (outside hitter), Emily Roehrkasse (middle blocker) and Jadranka Tramosljanin (outside hitter).

Without giving away any early secrets, Yerty said they will rely on some of their newcomers to contribute in this tournament, as well as their veterans being the corps of the team.

“We have a lot talent with this young crew,” Yerty said. “We have been really focusing on meshing, getting them comfortable on offense and getting them comfortable with our defense and our passing. That’s huge, so we have also been focusing on communicating. When you have a young crew or you have a lot of new players, not only are they a little bit timid, they don’t know exactly what to say. We’re starting from the ground up and we’re just talking about the kinds of things that they need to be talking about and really need to go back to where you need to be and what kind of things will be coming at them.”

Just what does Yerty expect from her tough team in this first tournament?

“They just need to play their butts off,” Yerty said. “I believe that they are going to do that and they have trained really hard this off-season. They are injury free, which is a great way to start off the year. They are in great shape. I totally expect us to compete to win matches. Ideally, we want to win this tournament. That would be a great challenge for us. I also want to see our team start to mesh and play as a unity versus six people out on the court trying to figure it out.”
　
Building to the conference season, Yerty said their ultimate goal is to win every match and every tournament that they play in. Reality, however, will sink in and she added that they will win some matches and lose some matches along the way.

“It is a priority to win, that is why they brought me here and that is why we recruit the kids that we have,” she said. “We want to put a team out there that can compete to win. But we have 10 new players, so getting them comfortable and getting experience prior to our conference season, that will be critical.

“We have some very good athletes on our team who have played volleyball at a high level. Putting it together is going to be like finding the right pieces of the end product,.”
　　

Cowgirl soccer falls in season opener

DENVER -- The University of Wyoming Cowgirl soccer team played their first regular season game of 2009 on Saturday and fell to Denver 1-0 on a neutral field.

The first half was an even battle with no goals scored. DU took five shots, three on goal, while the Cowgirls took three shots and one on goal.

DU midfielder Kelli Breidenbach scored at the 56:40 mark that proved to be the game winner. Lizzy Carlson was credited with the assist.

Senior Emily Layton and freshman Oliva Mohtadi led Wyoming with three shots each. Juniors Bostyn Burger and Katie Amsberry added two shots. Freshman Courtney Merkle made her first career start at goalkeeper and made four saves.

The Cowgirls will return home and play their home opener against Hartford Friday. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex

Branch announces tough wrestling schedule

UW wrestling coach Mark Branch

by UW Media Relations

Mark Branch sees no reason why his University of Wyoming wrestling team should not face the best possible opponents this season as they prepare for the 2010 postseason. In fact, when putting together UW’s 2009-10 schedule, Branch took the approach that a high-level of competition was an absolute necessity for his Cowboy squad.

As a result, in the 2009-10 season, UW will host six home dual matches, with three of those match-ups coming against teams that finished last year ranked in the top-25 nationally. Other highlights include Wyoming’s annual home tournament, the Cowboy Open, a road trip to Lincoln, Neb., to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who placed fourth at the 2009 NCAA Championships, as well as four high-caliber national preseason tournaments.

“Our schedule will be considerably tougher this year and that is what we want,” Branch said. “There were really two key elements we considered when putting together our schedule. One, we want to wrestle elite competition, so that when championship time comes around we have confidence knowing we are prepared. Two, we wanted to cater to our fans and provide more opportunities to watch Cowboy wrestling in Laramie.

“We are very excited about our home lineup. We have six quality dual match-ups, which include the most successful wrestling program in history in Oklahoma State, Northern Iowa and several of our other conference rivals.”

In their first action of 2009-10, the ‘Pokes will host the 37th Annual Cowboy Open, presented by UniWyo Federal Credit Union, Nov. 14, all day in War Memorial Fieldhouse. Last season, over 20 collegiate teams and 450 individuals competed in the event, with an even larger field expected this year.

Over the next month of the season Wyoming will travel to three tournaments, the Body Bar Classic, Sprawl & Brawl, and the Las Vegas Invitational, before their first dual match of the season, versus Stanford on Dec. 18 in Palo Alto, Calif. The Reno Tournament of Champions will conclude UW’s preseason tournament competition on Dec. 20.

The new year will bring the Cowboys home to the UniWyo Sports Complex to host North Carolina State on Jan. 5. The Wolfpack finished last season ranked No. 19 in the country and feature one the most exciting wrestlers in the sport, defending national champion Darrion Caldwell.

A road trip to face Oregon State and a home Western Wrestling Conference dual against Northern Colorado will serve as a precursor to Wyoming’s match-up with Nebraska on Jan. 17 in Lincoln.

UW will then host a huge home weekend of duals when the Oklahoma State Cowboys visit on Jan. 29, followed by match-ups with WWC foes Utah Valley and Northern Iowa on Jan. 30. OSU is the most successful program in college wrestling history, having won 34 NCAA championships. Additionally, in an effort to highlight the UW Cowboy versus OSU Cowboy dual, the UW Athletics Department will hold the event in the spacious Arena-Auditorium.

UNI was No. 22 after last season and narrowly edged the ‘Pokes at the 2009 West Regional by one and a half team points for the league crown.

Road WWC duals at South Dakota State, North Dakota State and Air Force, as well as a senior-night home contest with Cal State Fullerton will lead Wyoming into the postseason.

“Our team has a little more experience this year and I believe they are mature enough to accept the challenges awaiting them during this upcoming season,” Branch said. “We should be well prepared when the postseason rolls around.”

The Cowboys will have a chance to qualify for the NCAA National Tournament by earning automatic or wild-card bids at the West Regional Tournament and WWC Championship, March 6, 2010 in Brookings, S.D.

This year’s NCAA Wrestling Championships are March 18-20 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. Wyoming fans are encouraged to purchase tickets for the three-day event through the UW Athletics Ticket Office so that the Cowboy fan contingent can all be seated in the same section. The UW Athletics Ticket Office can be contacted at 800-922-9461.

There is the possibility that additional dual matches could be added to the Cowboy schedule prior to the start of the season. If added, those match-ups will be announced at a later date.

UW returns 11 letterwinners for the 2009-10 season, four NCAA qualifiers including All-American Joe LeBlanc, and boasts a recruiting class that was recognized by numerous national publications for its potential at the collegiate level.

Twelve returning team members saw dual match action last season when the Cowboys grabbed a share of the regular season WWC dual championship with a record of 15-3 overall, 5-0 in the WWC. The 2008-09 UW team also had a runner-up finish at the West Regional/WWC Tournament, four individual champions and automatic NCAA qualifiers, as well as nine of 10 wrestlers placing in the top-three of their weight class. Branch was the league’s Coach of the Year and was selected as the Top Rookie Coach in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News.

Cowgirl soccer to face DU on Saturday

The University of Wyoming Cowgirl soccer season will officially start with the first regular season match on Saturday against the Denver Pioneers.

The game originally was scheduled to be played at 6 p.m. at the home field of DU, but has been relocated to the Regis University Soccer Field at 4 p.m.

"We know that Denver will be a huge challenge for us, but we feel good with how the team has jelled in pre-season," said UW head coach Danny Sanchez. "We learned a lot from the Colorado exhibition game and are excited to get the season going."

The Pioneers are picked pre-season favorites to win the Sun Belt Conference. Last season, DU finished with an overall record of 19-3-2 and claimed their fourth SBC regular season title. In the NCAA Tournament the Pioneers fell in the first round to Kansas 2-1.

Wyoming and Denver will play for the eighth time ever on Saturday, and the first meeting since 2004. In that game, the two teams played to a 1-1 tie on a neutral field.

Last week, the Cowgirls played their only exhibition game of 2009 against Colorado. After a scoreless first half, CU took the lead at the 65:51 mark and won 1-0.

The Fox Soccer Channel also announced this week that it will broadcast the Cowgirls game against Northern Colorado on Oct. 4 as the NSCAA College Game of the Week. It will be the second televised game ever for Wyoming soccer.

Cowgirls come up short against Colorado

The lone exhibition for the Wyoming Cowgirl soccer team was an evenly matched game throughout, but the Cowgirls lost to the Colorado Buffaloes 1-0 at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.

"Both teams came out rusty, which can be expected in the first action of the season," said UW head coach Danny Sanchez. "Overall, we learned a lot against a quality team in Colorado. Our defense was solid and although we didn’t have a lot of chances to score, I am pleased with the effort today."

In the first half, the Cowgirls out-shot CU 4-3, with three of those shots being on goal. Freshman Courtney Merkle started at goalkeeper for Wyoming and had strong defense in front of her. Junior Bostyn Burger and the rest of the Cowgirl defenders didn’t allow a shot on goal in the first half of play.

In the second half, the even tempo continued for both teams. The game remained scoreless until Nikki Marshall took a shot that hit the back of the net to give the Buffs the 1-0 lead. Marshall is currently on the 2009 Hermann Trophy watch list, which is given to the top individual in women’s college soccer.

Wyoming’s best chance came in the second half on a cross that freshman Jenny Johnson, who attempted to head into the goal, but the shot was saved by a CU defender. On the rebound, senior Emily Layton took a close shot that was saved by CU’s goalkeeper Kara Linder.

Next week, the Cowgirls will be on the road for their fist regular season game of 2009. On Aug. 22, Wyoming will face Denver for the first time since the 2004 season. Game time is set for 6 p.m. in Denver.

Murdock advances in National Diving Championships

Wyoming diver Mark Murdock competed at the 2009 AT&T National Diving Championship in Tallahassee, Fla. and qualified for the final round on the platform event.

Murdock qualified for the championships in the preliminary round earlier this summer. Friday in the quarterfinal round, Murdock placed 16th with a score of 311.80 which was good enough to advance to the semifinals. In the next round, Murdock continued to dive well and advanced to the finals after posting a score of 335.05 points.

"Mark has been training really well and it is a huge accomplishment for him. No other Cowboy diver has gone this far so it is a special thing," said UW diving coach Ben Herdt. "Mark is diving against elite competition and has exploded onto the national scene. This is a huge stepping stone for him and Wyoming diving."

Murdock will be competing in the final round for a chance to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials. Diving will continue tomorrow in Tallahassee, Fla.

Complete results can be found at www.divemeets.com.

Cowgirl soccer begins practice

Wyoming coach Danny Sanchez

The 2009 soccer season is here for the Wyoming Cowgirls, as they opened practiceThursday at the North 40 practice fields. Fitness test were held in morning with practice later in the day.

"I was pleased to see that the players came in prepared and did a great job in the fitness tests this morning," said UW head coach Danny Sanchez. "We are excited to take the field and build up for Colorado next week and the start of the regular season."

A total of 23 Cowgirls make up the squad this season. Of those 23 players, the Cowgirls return 14 players from last year and welcome nine newcomers.

The Cowgirls will open up with an exhibition match Aug. 14 against Colorado at 2:30 at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex. The first regular season game will be on the road against Denver on Aug. 22 at 6 p.m.

Utah tabbed to win MWC volleyball title

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Defending league champion Utah is once again the favorite to win the Mountain West Conference volleyball title in a vote by the conference head coaches and selected media.

The Utes collected eight first-place votes and 138 total points. Colorado State was a close second with 135 points and four first-place votes, while New Mexico (three first-place votes) was picked third, totaling 112 points. BYU collected 96 points and two first-place nods for fourth place in the poll, while TCU (89 points) and UNLV (87 points) claimed fifth and sixth place, respectively, followed by San Diego State (seventh, 53 points), Wyoming (eighth, 38 points) and Air Force (ninth, 17 points).

MWC all-Conference performers Tessa Nelson (Colorado State) and Jade Michaelsen (New Mexico) highlight the preseason all-Mountain West Conference team, as they were tabbed the preseason MWC Co-Players of the Year. Six teams were represented on the 2009 preseason all-MWC squad, which also was chosen by the coaches and selected media.

The 2009 season will feature seven returning all-Mountain West Conference players, including 2008 Freshman of the Year Cursty Jackson (UNLV). Last season, Jackson tallied the conference's highest freshman ranking in hitting percentage in overall and conference matches (.264 and .236, respectively), kills per set in overall and conference matches (2.55 and 2.72, respectively), and points per set in overall and league play (3.06 and 3.24, respectively).

Kayla Walker (Sr., RS) returns for BYU, while Tessa Nelson (R-Sr., MB) will be back at Colorado State and Jade Michaelsen returns to New Mexico. Walker was third in the league in kills per set (3.24) in conference matches, while also finishing fourth in points per set (3.92) in conference play. Nelson ranked in the top-10 in blocks per set (6th, 1.16) and hitting percentage (9th, .312) in the league rankings, while Michaelsen finished second in assists per set (10.92).

San Diego State's Lauren Salisbury, TCU's Christy Hudson and Utah's Karolina Bartkowiak round out the returnee list. Salisbury ranked fourth in points per set (3.65), fifth in hitting percentage (.344) and 10th in kills per set (2.88) in overall matches last season. Hudson finished third in hitting percentage (.353) in overall matches, while Bartkowiak was second in hitting percentage (.354) in overall contests.

The 2009 season is set to begin Aug. 28, with all nine league teams in action. Conference play begins Sept. 16, with New Mexico hosting TCU.

Cowgirl rodeo team to appear at Centennial event

The 2009 Wyoming Cowgirl national champion rodeo team will make an appearance in Centennial on Aug. 21 to help kick off the Centennial Library and Cultural Association “Cowboy Culture Celebration.”

A cocktail reception and book signing for Wyoming author Craig Johnson begins at 7 p.m. at the Centennial Library. Johnston is the author of five mystery books set in Wyoming including “Cold Dish” and his latest book “The Dark Horse.” The $10 admission includes CLCA membership or for members of the Centennial Library and Culture Association it is free. The event will continue on Aug. 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the University of Wyoming President’s Cabin, Horseshoe Haven, in Centennial.

Along with Johnston and the Cowgirl rodeo team, the event features Tim Rush, Cowboy Poet; Julianne Couch, author of Jukeboxes, Jackalopes: a Wyoming Bar Tour and music by the Country Club Band. Lunch will be provided by Albany County Cow-Belles and Pepsi.

The fee for the day, which includes lunch, is $20 for adults and $5 for youth 16 and under. Tickets are available in Laramie at the Albany County Public Library, Chickering Books, ACPE. Tickets in Centennial are at the Friendly Store, the Old Corral, Centennial Branch Library, and Mountain View Historic Hotel. This is a family event to benefit the Centennial Library General Maintenance Fund. Event co-sponsored by Albany County Public Employees Credit Union (ACPE), Wyoming Arts Council, Albany County Tourism Board (ACTB), Pepsi, KCGY Radio, Mountain View Historic Hotel and Albany County Cow-Belles. For more information, visit http://www.centenniallibrary.net/.

Take HWY 130 to Rainbow Valley Lodge Road and volunteers will direct you 3.3 miles to the event.