Sept. 7, 2001

LARAMIE, Wyo. -

Cowgirl Classic (Laramie, Wyo.)
WYOMING def. Texas-Arlington 3-1 - Box Score
WYOMING def. Oklahoma 3-0 - Box Score

The Wyoming Cowgirl Volleyball Team got off to a good start, in the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic, with two victories in the first day of competition.

In the first match of the day, the Cowgirls defeated the UT-Arlington Mavericks, 3-1, by scores of 30-21, 30-17, 27-30 and 30-16.

Junior outside hitter Carol Bozikis led the Mavericks with ten kills and nine digs. Unfortunately, their hitting percentage didn't help them win any points, hitting a dismal -.013 (36-38-154).

The Cowgirls were led by sophomore Michele Rauter, who have a career night with 23 kills. She also added eight digs and hit .381. Rachel Lau was also a big contributor with 15 kills and hitting .333. Wyoming outblocked the Mavericks 12 to six and hit .253 on the match.

"It's good to win, but more importantly how we won," said head coach Susan Steadman. "We've been trying for the last two year's to get a group on the court that worked together, but also showed up for the match individually and took care of their responsibilities. This group has potential to play well together as a team and really raise the level of their play."

"I felt that everyone that played today performed well. Our middle blockers were very consistent and played aggressively. Michele Rauter also had a good match. She played good defensively and for an outside hitter to hit .381 for the match is great. Overall, it was a great team effort, and I'm proud of the way our setters showed some leadership."

Oklahoma was led by Denise Griffin, who led the team in kills with 12, along with notching four digs. Despite only hitting .136 on the night, they outblocked the Cowgirls ten to seven.

Wyoming was led by sophomore Michele Rauter, who despite going down in the second game, finished with nine kills and six digs. She would return in the third game. Melissa Robinett also added ten kills and three block solos. The Cowgirls hit .155 (44-27-110) on the evening.

"I'm proud of the win and the fact we could regroup, after Michele went down in the second game, it's important that we could keep it together and win the match. This is a great win and you have to consider how our freshmen are playing, regardless of their mistakes, they keep coming back and fighting."

"We weren't playing good clean volleyball tonight. We got the job done, but I didn't feel we played as well as this morning. You can expect the highs and lows in the early season, and especially in a five team tournament. The important thing is that we recover and have a good performance against Idaho State."

With the victories, the Cowgirls even their record at 2-2. They will face Idaho State at noon and Wake Forest, at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow night, in the final day of the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic.