Cowgirl Volleyball Rolls to Home Tournament Title [VIDEO]

One set is all the Wyoming Cowgirls lost in defending their home court in route to the UniWyo Invite championship last Friday and Saturday.

Wyoming (8-1) defeated Binghamton and Murray State in three-set sweeps, while they posted a 3-1 victory over Arizona State.

The Cowgirls got nine kills apiece from Halie McArdle and Jackie McBride in the sweep over Binghamton Friday afternoon. UW hit .430 as a team, while Bearcats were held to .048 for a team hitting percentage. Cori Aafedt had a career-best six service aces. Wyoming won the match by scores of 25-9, 25-15, and 25-12.

Friday night, UW jumped out on the Sun Devils and won the match in four sets. The Cowgirls took the first two sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-16. After Arizona State rallied for a 25-20 win and forced a fourth set, the two teams battled back and forth. The final set featured six lead changes and 13 ties. Wyoming pulled away late for a 25-22 set win and the victory. Reed Copeland had 11 kills and 11 blocks to lead UW. It was her first double-double since 2016. Three other Cowgirls had double figures in kills led by McBride with 13. Wyoming hit .253 compared to .192 for the Sun Devils. They also out-blocked Arizona State 17-to-7

Saturday saw the Cowgirls control the first two sets against Murray State. UW won them 25-14 and 25-19. The Racers came out strong in the third set, but Wyoming battled through and pulled away for a 25-21 set victory and the match win, 3-0. Tara Traphagan and Copeland had eight kills apiece, while McArdle and McBride finished with seven kills each. The Cowgirls hit .402 in the match, while they held the Racers to .107. They also had 12 blocks compared to one for Murray State.

After Saturday’s win over the Racers, Wyoming head coach Chad Callihan addressed the media. He liked how his squad began the match; how they can spread their attack around; reflected on the whole weekend and more.

Halie McArdle earned tournament MVP honors, while Reed Copeland and Cori Aafedt were also named to the All-tournament team.

The Cowgirls go back on the road for the Cyclone Classic in Ames, IA with one match each day Thursday through Saturday.