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.