LARAMIE – Kaylee Prigge knew that if she rebuilds it, they will come.
What she wasn’t sure about was drawing a crowd for her debut as the head coach of Wyoming volleyball.
Prigge was pleasantly surprised when 722 fans showed up for the Cowgirls’ opener against Furman, a match that began at noon last Friday.
A total of 2,839 paying customers created a raucous atmosphere in the UniWyo Sports Complex during UW’s fast 3-0 start to the season.
“I was nervous about it a little bit,” Prigge said. “I knew the band wasn’t going to be here and I wanted an environment on weekend one where we could show off a little bit and they would be excited about coming back and supporting this team because they are such a special group.
“Man, they never failed to impress me. Our fans showed out and it was awesome. I thought the students were great. I couldn’t be more impressed.”
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The Cowgirls were impressive on the court during 3-0 sweeps of Furman and Wisconsin-Green Bay and a 3-1 victory over South Dakota State in the annual Rumble in the Rockies tournament.
The combination of leadership and poise from South Carolina transfer Holly Eastridge and seniors Zoee Smith and Corin Carruth and the young talent Prigge and her staff have on the roster mixed well after only two weeks of official practices together.
Prigge said the team bonded during the road trip through Cody, where they played an exhibition match against Montana State, and during their time in Yellowstone, where everyone stayed in the same house.
The Cowgirls showed off a strong team chemistry and a collective understanding of the concepts the new staff wants them to execute in matches.
“I learned they did that very well,” Prigge said. “Surprise is the wrong word, but I’m just so impressed with their grit. We were challenged a little bit, we responded, and just the joy they played with was really fun. I’m really proud of the start we got off to and their ability to perform.”
Sophomore middle blocker Tierney Barlow, junior setter Kasia Partyka and sophomore outside hitter Rylee Schulz were all named to the all-tournament team.
Barlow led UW in the three matches with 35 kills and 12 blocks while hitting .585. Schulz had 32 kills, four aces and averaged 2.20 digs per set. Partyka averaged 12.5 assists per set.
While the Texas Tech football team is in Laramie for Saturday’s highly anticipated opener against UW at War Memorial Stadium, the Cowgirls will be in Lubbock, Texas, where they will face the host Red Raiders, as well as Texas A&M-Commerce and Louisiana.
“A new challenge is always exciting, and it will be our first real road trip, which is a different feel obviously than being at home in week one,” Prigge said. “All three very talented teams. We’re excited about the challenge.”
SOCCER
Jamie Tatum, the reigning Mountain West offensive player of the year, made some history during UW’s comeback victory on Sunday.
The super senior’s goal in the 72nd minute of the 2-1 win over Nebraska-Omaha vaulted Tatum to the top of the program’s all-time scoring list with 60 career points.
“We are immensely proud of Jamie,” UW head coach Collen Corbin said. “She has been bought into this program since day one, but for sure since my staff and I took over a couple years ago. She has poured everything she is and everything she wants to be into this program. She’s a great leader, she’s a wonderful soccer player, and she’s an even better human.”
Tatum’s equalizer gave the visitors the momentum, and Alyssa Glover scored the game-winning goal 3 minutes, 30 seconds later as the Cowgirls improved to 2-0-2 on the season.
Glover, who also scored the third goal in UW’s 3-3 tie at South Dakota on the road trip, was named the MW player of the week.
Goalkeeper Haley Bartel made her first start for the Cowgirls at Omaha, finishing with three saves and only allowing one goal via a penalty kick.
UW hosts Northern Colorado on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Madrid Sports Complex.
CROSS COUNTRY
Katelyn Mitchem is out of eligibility, but the MW’s female scholar athlete of the year’s legacy lives on.
UW head coach Scott Dahlberg said the program’s record-setting cross country and track star will serve as a volunteer coach this season while doing an internship for an environmental studies firm and continuing her training.
“Her year last year was special,” Dahlberg said. “We took some time last year to reflect on what she was doing and tried to absorb that and not just take it for granted.”
Mitchem, who holds UW records in five events, finished fourth in the MW cross championships last season and earned all-American honors in steeplechase by placing 13th at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
The Cowgirls plan to replace her running shoes by committee this season, which begins with the Wyoming Invite at 9 a.m. Saturday on the Little America Golf Course in Cheyenne.
“Our goal on both sides is to make the national meet as a team,” Dahlberg said. “We think that’s a realistic goal. Both teams were in the ballpark last year and this year with who we return we feel pretty confident that’s a good goal for us.”
The UW women’s team was ranked as high as 34th last season and the men’s team finished one spot out of a berth to the NCAA championships, which takes 31 teams.
Interestingly, Texas Tech is one of the teams set to participate in UW’s meet Friday, along with Colorado State, Northern Colorado and the South Dakota School of Mines.
Dahlberg noted there’s plenty of time for fans to take in the cross country meet featuring the Pokes and Red Raiders before heading to Laramie to tailgate for the football game.
