Cowgirls lose five-set battle with Utah State

LARAMIE -- For the first time since 2014, the Cowgirl volleyball team opened conference play with a loss, as Wyoming fell in five sets to visiting Utah State Thursday night.

After opening the match with a hard-fought 25-23 win, the Cowgirls (8-5, 0-1 MW) lost a marathon second set, 33-31 as Utah State (9-4, 1-0 MW) evened things up. After the momentum of taking set two, the Aggies took control with a 25-14 win in set three before the Cowgirls were able to rebound in the fourth, 25-22. USU controlled much of the fifth set, which ended 15-11 as it closed on a 5-2 run to finish things off.

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KC McMahon led things offensively for the Cowgirls as she had 17 kills to lead the way. McMahon also added eight digs and along with Erika Jones, led the team with a pair of service aces in the loss. Faith Waitsman recorded her first career double-double, as she notched 12 kills and 13 assists, while also registering five block assists.

Naya Shimé and Jackie McBride added 11 and 10 kills, respectively. McBride tallied a team-best seven total blocks on the night. As a team, the Cowgirls out-blocked Utah State on the night, 16-13 and also had a 6-3 edge in service aces. However, the Aggies hit .204 on the evening, while the Brown & Gold hit just .107.

In the back row, Jones continued her solid play from her libero position, leading the Cowgirls with 22 digs on the night. Kaitlyn Gehler was also in double figures with 10, while Payton Chamberlain recorded her first-ever double-double, notching 11 digs to go along with a career-best 48 assists.

The Cowgirls will look to shake off the setback with a quick turnaround Saturday as Boise State comes to town for a 1 p.m., match.