Cowgirl volleyball got off to a hot start in the 2014 season, as they went 4-0 this past weekend at the Montana Invite and a neutral match in Evanston, Wyoming.
“You could not have asked for a better first weekend,” Head Coach Chad Callihan said in a teleconference on Wednesday. “We hit the ground running and executed very well for week one.”
The Montana Invite for Wyoming started with a match versus Pac-12 foe Washington State. The Cowgirls swept the Cougars overall (25-20, 29-27, 25-23).
Sophomore Kayla Slofkiss led the Cowgirls with a career high 14 kills, while adding seven digs.
Junior Bridget Shanahan contributed to the Cowgirls win with 11 kills. Junior Courtney Chacon had 41 assists as well as seven digs. Freshman Lily Austin, in her first collegiate match, added 14 digs and five blocks.
“Austin was fantastic,” said Callihan. “She is very calm and disciplined. She is a model of consistency.”
The Cowgirls trailed in every set before eventually winning all three in route to a sweep.
Wyoming’s second match of the invite came against Cal Poly. The Cowgirls beat the Mustangs in four sets (25-22, 20-25, 25-20, 25-16).
Leading the way for the Cowgirls was Shanahan, who tied her career high with 19 kills, with four assists.
Austin made her presence felt in just here second match, with 16 digs and sophomore Laura Beach contributed a team high five blocks, while adding 12 kills for Wyoming.
This was Wyoming’s toughest match of the invite, as they experienced a good deal of resistance from the Mustangs. The Cowgirls took control of the match in the third set, closing on a 7-2 run, using their momentum en route to a low-stress fourth set.
The Cowgirls closed the Montana Invite by playing the host Grizzlies. Wyoming swept Montana (25-17, 25-12, 25-20).
Shanahan led the way again for the Cowgirls on her third consecutive match, with double digit kills: 15 of them were recorded versus Montana.
Two other Cowgirls recorded double digit kills as Slofkiss and senior Erin Kirby had 13 and 11, respectively.
Austin again defied her inexperience and recorded 17 digs, while Chacon added a 41 assist performance to go along with three blocks.
The only time the Cowgirls trailed Montana was in the second set, when the Grizzlies led 6-5.
Wyoming concluded their trip with a neutral court match versus the Utah Valley Wolverines in Evanston, Wyoming. The Cowgirls swept the Wolverines (25-12, 25-13, 25-20) in front of a capacity crowd at Evanston Gymnasium.
Hometown girl Erin Kirby led the way for the Cowgirls, with a season-high 11 kills to go along with three blocks. Kirby continued to maintain a hitting percentage of .917.
“She did a great job of managing her emotions,” Callihan said. “The numbers she threw up were ridiculous.”
Shanahan also found double digits in the kill department with ten of her own. Austin also had 12 digs, while Chacon had 30 assists.
Wyoming closed the first two sets with strong runs of 8-0, 9-4 and eventually closed the door on Utah Valley in set number three.
Wyoming is picking up where it left off last season, as they have now won 11 consecutive matches dating back to last season. That streak is tied for second longest in school history. The Cowgirls have also only lost one set in their four games.
“We have room to improve defensively,” said Callihan. “But we have come a long way in a year.”
The Cowgirls return home for the home opener as a part of the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic on Friday, as they take on South Alabama at noon and Ball State at 7 p.m. at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
