Tulsa Drops Opener to Cowgirls at Rumble in the Rockies

Friday, August 29

Laramie, Wyo.

7:30 p.m.

Tulsa

0-1,0-0American

Wyoming

1-0,0-0Mountain West

Tulsa

Wyoming

Tulsa Drops Opener to Cowgirls at Rumble in the Rockies

8/29/2025 10:25:00 PM | Volleyball

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LARAMIE, Wyo. — Tulsa (0-1) and Wyoming (1-0) split the opening frames, but the Cowgirls ran away with the opening match of the year in four sets, 25-22, 21-25, 25-17, 28-26, in the Rumble in the Rockies tournament at Arena-Auditorium Friday night.

In the first set, Tulsa started strong with Olivia Vance's kill, assisted by Brayden Hipp, to open the action. The teams exchanged points, with multiple service errors contributing to the tight score. Notably, Hipp, who earned her 23rd career double-double with 29 assists and 12 digs on the night, provided key assists to Vance, who recorded multiple kills. Wyoming gained momentum with a 5-1 run, turning a tied score of 9-9 into a 14-10 lead, with Jordan Sandy and Addy Cook contributing kills. Despite Tulsa's efforts to close the gap, including kills from Ava Steffe, who had five kills in the first set alone in her first career match, and Vance, the Cowgirls maintained their lead and secured the set 25-22.

Tulsa took an early edge in the second set against Wyoming, with Jill Hanson and Beth Bayless each landing kills early on, leveling the score at 2-2. Hanson's performance was impressive as it was her first start in her collegiate match, where she went 8-1-13 from the floor for a .538 hitting mark, adding three block assists. Wyoming's Addy Thorington responded with a series of effective plays, including three kills, keeping the score competitive. Tulsa's Kat Cooper and Lauren Eitler both contributed crucial points, with Cooper's kill at 22-20 helping Tulsa to pull away. Cooper achieved a career-high 13 kills during the match. Despite Wyoming's Sarah Holcomb's efforts to close the gap, Tulsa finished strong, with Cooper's final kill securing a 25-21 win for the set.

In the third set, Wyoming capitalized on an early sequence of errors by Tulsa to gain a 6-2 lead, with Paige Lauterwasser and Thorington contributing key kills. Tulsa struggled with service errors, allowing the Cowgirls to extend their advantage to 10-4. Despite a solid effort from Eitler, who delivered multiple kills and achieved her ninth career double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs, Tulsa could not close the gap significantly. Wyoming maintained control through consistent play from Holcomb and Lauterwasser, both contributing to the score. Ultimately, Wyoming clinched the set 25-17, aided by Sara Quigley's seven assists, which facilitated numerous successful attacks.

The fourth set between Tulsa and Wyoming was marked by back-and-forth scoring and multiple lead changes. The Cowgirls started strong with a 4-2 lead after a series of Tulsa attack errors, but Tulsa quickly responded with a block by Cooper and Eitler to tie the score at 5-5. Tulsa managed to take a 6-5 lead with a block from Vance and Cooper. Wyoming then went on a scoring run, with Sandy and Cook contributing to a 9-7 advantage for the home team. The Golden Hurricane fought back to tie the game at 17-17, thanks to a kill by Hanson. The teams traded points until Wyoming reached set point at 24-22, but Tulsa rallied to tie the score at 24-24. Despite the comeback effort, Wyoming secured a 28-26 victory with a final kill from Sandy.

Looking ahead, Tulsa will continue the tournament against Colorado tomorrow at 2 p.m. Central.

Tulsa's Top Performers
Kat Cooper
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- 13 kills (4 errors, 25 attempts) with a .360 hitting percentage
- five total blocks
- 16 points

Lauren Eitler
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- 12 kills (6 errors, 28 attempts) with a .214 hitting percentage
- 13 digs
- two total blocks
- 14 points

Brayden Hipp
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- 29 assists
- 12 digs

Brittany Bacorn
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- 23 assists
- 13 digs
- one service ace

Jill Hanson
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- eight kills (1 error, 13 attempts) with a .538 hitting percentage
- three total blocks
- 9.5 points

Wyoming's Top Performers
Sarah Holcomb
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- 6 total blocks
- 16.0 points

Paige Lauterwasser
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- 15 kills
- 17.0 points

Jordan Sandy
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- 6 total blocks
- 9.0 points

Sara Quigley
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- 44 assists
- 2.0 points

Game Notes
- Brittany Bacorn earned her first double-double (23 assists and 13 digs) of the year and fourth of her career, with her 23 assists marking a new career-high.
- Lauren Patterson enjoyed a career-best 13 digs.

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