Cowgirls fall in four to Fresno State

It was déjà vu all over again for the Wyoming volleyball team Saturday night.

Last week, the Cowgirls (4-2) opened the season by winning their first two matches of the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic, before falling to Idaho state in four games in the title match. On Saturday, the Cowgirls fell to Fresno State in four in the tile match of the UniWyo Cowgirl Invite -- after winning twice on Friday.

Fresno State (5-1) prevailed 25-18, 25-12, 23-25 and 25-20.

“We started off slow tonight, which I don’t know if we were hesitant or nervous,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “We went in between sets two and three and talked about what we could do on our side to play better. They came out and battled in set three and I thought we had the momentum back. We struggled passing tonight, which is unusual for us. I think we need to work on pressure situations, and continue to build our confidence.

“It was disappointing not to win, but the players gave everything they had. It’s up to us as a staff to train and develop them into players that can handle every situation. We will get there it will just take one day at a time.

Junior Lauren Whitney led the way for the Cowgirls with 14 kills and a .281 (14-5-32) hitting percentage. She was followed by freshman Jodi Purdy, who recorded 12 kills and five digs. Wyoming hit .197 (46-21-127) for the match.

Fresno State was led by Baylee Platt, who finished with 14 kills and 12 digs. Three other players recorded nine kills each. The Bulldogs hit .278 (53-16-133) for the match and out blocked the Cowgirls 12-4.

Wyoming will head out on the road for the first time, as they in the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Flagstaff, Ariz., Friday and Saturday against Northern Arizona, The Citadel and Utah State.
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All-Tournament Team
Fresno State -- Allanah Munson, (MVP), Kelly Leonardo and Lauren Berger
Wyoming -- Jodi Purdy and Lauren Whitney
North Dakota -- Britta Hanson
Montana State -- Kyla Hendry