Cowgirls Soar Past Falcons
Beach, Chacon lead UW to 4-1 in MW
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Oct. 8, 2015) – Courtney Chacon recorded a match-high 21 assists and Laura Beach tied her career-high in hitting percentage to guide the University of Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team to its seventh-straight victory at home on Thursday night. UW defeated Air Force in straight sets (25-15, 25-23, 25-21) in front of a crowd of 900 in the UniWyo Sports Complex.
With the win, Wyoming (14-3, 4-1 MW) has now defeated the Falcons (8-11, 1-3 MW) 22 of the last 23 times dating back to 2004, including four straight.
“We came out very well and played clean,” UW head volleyball coach Chad Callihan said. “Our energy was great to begin with, as we tried to keep them out of rhythm. We did have some very uncharacteristic errors at times and that allows a team to hang around and gain confidence, but we will do everything we can to make sure we don’t continue to repeat that.”
Laura Beach had six kills against Air Force to help tie her career-high in hitting percentage at .750 (6-0-8), while senior Bridget Shanahan led UW with nine kills on the evening. Kayla Slofkiss chipped in eight kills, while Kayla Henderson also added six against the Falcons.
To go along with her 21 assists, Chacon had a team-high eight digs. It proved to be Chacon’s ninth match this season with at least 20 assists. Allison Waldvogel contributed with seven digs on the night, as Cori Aafedt had six. Slofkiss and Lily Austin each recorded four digs against Air Force.
Freshman Reed Copeland once again led Wyoming’s defense, as she recorded nine total blocks against Air Force, and also added four kills. Emily Hines and Henderson each had four blocks for the Cowgirls, while Bridget Shanahan had three.
Henderson had three of her kills in the first set, as Slofkiss, Beach and Shanahan each added two of their own. Shanahan went on to chip in four in the second frame, while Slofkiss had three. In the third and final set, Chacon and Waldvogel each had five digs to pace Wyoming and Shanahan and Slofkiss had six kills between the two of them to seal the victory.
Cowgirl volleyball returns to the UniWyo Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon as New Mexico visits for a 1 p.m. MT first serve.
Wyoming Outshoots New Mexico in 0-0 Tie
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Oct. 9, 2015) – The University of Wyoming Cowgirl soccer team outshot the New Mexico Lobos 16-7 in a 0-0 tie on Friday at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex. UW is now 6-3-4 overall this season and 2-2-1 in conference play. The Cowgirls will battle the San Diego State Aztecs on Sunday.
“I thought we brought a ton of energy and created a lot of chances,” Cowgirl soccer head coach Pete Cuadrado said. “It’s frustrating to finish with a tie but with the effort and focus that we played with, I thought we played really good.”
Wyoming kept the offensive pressure throughout the match as they nine corner kicks to New Mexico’s two. UW’s defense also stayed strong, only allowing two shots on goal. Freshman goalkeeper Cassidy Entsminger played from the second half to the end of the match recording both of Wyoming’s saves.
Sophomore forward Shaina Ashouri led both teams in shots with five, having four of them come on goal. Ashouri has accumulated 49 shots on the season. Sophomore forward Kaitlyn Lomsnes and defenders Katie Marcheso and Kimmy Burbank each tallied two shots. Juniors Anne Hinman and Mandy Meyer and freshmen Alyssa Murray and Jessie Gentle each had one.
“We need to get back to 100 percent,” Cuadrado added. “San Diego State is a very athletic and tough team. For us, we need to play hard and capitalize on our chances.”
The Cowgirls will return to the pitch to face the San Diego State Aztecs in a rematch of last season’s Mountain West final’s matchup. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m., MT. Sunday’s match with the Aztecs will feature an alumni game. All former Wyoming players are invited back to the game and will be recognized at halftime.
Castillo Leads Way for UW at DU Ron Moore Intercollegiate
Sophomore is tied 27th after round one
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (Oct. 9, 2015) – The University of Wyoming Cowgirl golf team opened up the Denver Ron Moore Intercollegiate on Friday recording an opening round of 301 (+13). Sophomore Klara Castillo led the Cowgirls shooting a 73 (+1) at the par-72, 6,326 yard Highlands Ranch Golf Club. With two rounds remaining, UW sits in 15th place in the 18-team field.
“I am pleased with another good start for us and continued consistent play,” Cowgirl head coach Josey Stender said. “We know this format is more like a marathon and we just need to stick with our own process while also getting a few more putts to fall.”
Castillo notched her best round of the fall season to begin the tournament and is currently tied for 27th after the first round. Coming off a top-10 finish at the Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate, Megan Knadler shot a 75 (+3) and is tied for 52nd. Gabrielle Gibson recorded a tally of 76 (+4) finishing the first day tied for 62nd. Playing as an individual, freshman Kaylee Knadler also fired a 76 (+4). Taylor Dorans finished the first day of competition tied for 74th place notching a 77 (+5), while Kathleen Kershisnik scored a 78 (+6) to wrap up the Cowgirl lineup.
Host Denver and San Francisco are tied for the team lead after the first round. Both teams recorded a 282 (-6), as Washington State and Little Rock sit tied for third three shots back. Ayaka Suzuki of San Francisco is the individual leader after shooting a 65 (-7).
The Cowgirls continue action at the Denver Ron Moore Intercollegiate tomorrow morning.
Wyoming Results
T27 – Klara Castillo – 73 (+1)
T52 – Megan Knadler – 75 (+3)
T62 – Gabrielle Gibson – 76 (+4)
T62 – Kaylee Knadler – 76 (+4)
T74 – Taylor Dorans – 77 (+5)
T80 – Kathleen Kershisnik – 78 (+6)
Beach Leads UW in Sweep of New Mexico
Copeland records career-high in kills
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Oct. 10, 2015) – Laura Beach recorded a team-high 12 kills to pace the University of Wyoming Cowgirl volleyball team on Saturday afternoon. UW swept New Mexico (25-19, 25-16, 25-19) for its eighth-consecutive victory at home in the UniWyo Sports Complex. The victory was the fifth of seven matches the Cowgirls (15-3, 5-1 MW) have swept their opponents in straight sets.
“I thought we played fairly well against Air Force on Thursday,” UW head coach Chad Callihan said. “It was great to see us follow that up with today’s performance against a very athletic and very well coached New Mexico team. We haven’t been playing well in the second match of the weekend for a few weeks now, so I was just excited to see us string together a couple matches.”
Beach hit .450 (12-3-20) during the match and also had a team-high five blocks. Freshman Reed Copeland had a career-high nine kills for the Cowgirls, hitting .900 (9-0-10) as well. Kayla Slofkiss also blistered nine kills for UW, while adding seven digs. Kayla Henderson chipped in six kills, as Bridget Shanahan had four on the afternoon.
“Laura (Beach) night in and night out has been very consistent for us,” Callihan said. “It’s great to see the way Allison (Waldvogel) competes, and Reed (Copeland) really emerged for us on the offensive side today.”
Senior Allison Waldvogel guided the Cowgirl defense against the Lobos and had a match-high 19 digs for UW, while Cori Aafedt and Courtney Chacon each had 17 assists while running the offense. Chacon also chipped in seven digs, as Aafedt and sophomore Lily Austin had six digs.
The Cowgirls will continue with their MW schedule on Tuesday night. They will face No. 21 Colorado State at 7 p.m., MT at Moby Arena in Fort Collins.
UW Swimming Wraps Up DU Relays
Cowgirls take first, as Cowboys finish second
DENVER, Colo. (Oct. 10, 2015) – The University of Wyoming swimming team opened the 2015 regular season at the Denver University Relays on Saturday afternoon. The Cowgirls won the meet on the women’s side, while the Cowboys took second behind host Denver. On the day, Wyoming won the meet with its combined score of 564, ten more than Denver.
“I was really happy with our racing today,” UW head coach Tom Johnson said. “We will work to clean up our starts and turns a little bit, and a few other little things but this was a good start to the season for us. After a tough week of training and working hard, I thought we gave a great effort today. ”
The victories started for Wyoming in the men’s 3×500 freestyle relay as Ryan Nelson, Ryan Ball and Eric Oleson brought home the title with a final time of 14:02.91. Kyle Scalise, Kyle White and Gabe Rooker won the 3×100 breaststroke relay. Senior Ryan Nelson, Scalise, Wade Nelson and Rooker combined for a final mark of 3:29.12 to win the 4×100 IM relay. The Cowboys also won the men’s 100 yard medley relay. Austin Layman, Rooker, Goerge Eglesfield and Bryce Carter brought home the win for UW.
The Cowgirls got their first win of the season in the 3×100 butterfly relay. Samantha Burke, Emily Stucky and Molly Coonce won with a total mark of 2:50.66, while Emily Ridout, Danielle Badger, Stucky and Sarae Dydo brought home a victory in the 4×25 freestyle relay. Stucky led the Cowgirls with another win in the 4×100 IM relay. Coonce, Emma Dow and Alanna Dassoff joined Stucky to finish with a time of 4:00.36, while Emily Stevens, Ridout, Coonce and Dydo continued their winning ways with a victory in the 100 yard medley relay. Danielle Badger, Stucky, Abby Sullivan and Ridout claimed the top time in the 4×100 freestyle relay. Stucky, Scalise, Ryan Nelson and Ridout took the final victory for Wyoming on the afternoon in the Mixed 200 yard medley relay.
The Cowboys return to action on Oct. 16 at 4:00 p.m., facing off against Denver in Corbett Pool.
Cowboys Fall to Air Force, 31-17
Hill Rushes for 128 yards
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 10, 2015) – A strong second half by the Air Force (3-2, 2-0 MW) offense lifted the Falcons past the Wyoming Cowboys (0-6, 0-2 MW) 31-17 on Saturday evening in Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. Sophomore Brian Hill rushed for 128 yards in the contest. He has rushed for more than 100 yards in four games this season and has 100 or more rushing yards in eight of his last 11 contests.
“I thought they had a good defensive front and collapsed the pocket,” UW head coach Craig Bohl said. “We are seeing a lot of young guys out there and I believe they are getting better. It may not show on the scoreboard, but we keep on encouraging these guys.”
The two teams combined for six turnovers in the contest. Wyoming recorded a season-high four turnovers with the Falcons recording two turnovers on the night. The Cowboy defense was strong in the first half allowing a season-low seven points in the frame. The Cowboys offense had 307 total yards on the night, which was a season-low.
Air Force scored 24 points in the second half to pick up the win. The Cowboys offense came alive in the four quarter with a pair of scores, but it was not enough to complete a comeback. Wyoming’s fourth quarter touchdowns came off of redshirt senior quarterback Cameron Coffman connecting with junior wide receiver Jake Maulhardt on a pair of touchdown passes.
Air Force got on the board first on a 6-yard touchdown run by Shayne Davern to open the second quarter. The touchdown was setup by a fumble recovery at midfield by the Falcon defense. The Cowboys turned a turnover by the Falcons into points, as freshman cornerback Antonio Hull picked up a fumble recovery deep inside Air Force territory. Freshman Tristian Bailey followed by hitting his first career field goal connecting on a 41-yarder to cut the AFA lead to 7-3.
Hill has rushed for 797 yards on the season a new single-season high for the sophomore after he rushed for 796 yards a season ago. Maulhardt led the Cowboys in receiving with five grabs for 65 yards. Coffman finished the day 15-for-29 for 192 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
True freshman Andrew Wingard led the Cowboys in tackles with 10 on the evening. He has three double-digit tackle games on the season. Junior Lucas Wacha added nine tackles and tied a career-high with two tackles for loss. True freshmen Carl Granderson and Antonio Hull both recorded a career-high five tackles. Junior punter Ethan Wood had eight punts on the night and tied a career-high by pinning Air Force inside their 20 yard line four times.
The Cowboys return to action next week hosting Nevada on Homecoming. The game is slated for a 2 p.m. MT kick at War Memorial Stadium.
Cowgirls Fall 2-1 to the Aztecs
Will continue MW play Friday at UNLV
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Oct. 11, 2015) – The University of Wyoming Cowgirl soccer team fell 2-1 to the San Diego State Aztecs on Sunday afternoon at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex. UW moves to 2-3-1 in Mountain West play and 6-4-4 overall this season.
“It’s frustrating,” Cowgirl soccer head coach Pete Cuadrado said. “I feel like both of their goals came from mistakes that we made. We haven’t made those mistakes all season, so it’s frustrating. We played well in the second half but you can’t play 45 minutes against the three-time conference champs and expect to win.”
San Diego State’s Angela Mitchell scored the first goal of the match in the 12th minute, as freshman midfielder Annika Clayton knocked in a header off a corner kick from sophomore forward Shaina Ashouri in the 20th minute. Shortly after, Mitchell kicked the game winner past sophomore goalkeeper Georgia Rowntree in the 25th minute to give the Aztecs the lead for the rest of the match.
UW’s defense stepped up the intensity in the second half as they only allowed the Aztecs to take three shots. Goalkeepers Rowntree and Cassidy Entsminger recorded six saves throughout both stanzas. Rowntree notched three saves in the first half as Entsminger had three in the second.
The Cowgirls totaled four shots throughout the match with Ashouri leading the way with two shot attempts. Sophomore forward Kaitlyn Lomsnes and Clayton each tallied one shot to round out the total for Wyoming.
“We need to get back to playing good soccer,” Cuadrado added. “We are still in the mix to make the conference tournament and that’s the first thing that we have to do. We need to take care of business on the road next week.”
UW will hit the road to take on the UNLV Rebels and the Nevada Wolfpack on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Friday’s game is set for an 8 p.m., MT kickoff.