Sept. 8, 2001

LARAMIE, Wyo. -

Cowgirl Classic (Laramie, Wyo.)
WYOMING def. Idaho State 3-0 - Box Score
WYOMING def. Wake Forest 3-0 - Box Score

The Wyoming Cowgirl Volleyball Team won the 2001 UniWyo Cowgirl Volleyball Classic by defeating Idaho State and Wake Forest on the Final day of the tournament.

Against Idaho State, the Cowgirls won 34-32, 30-23 and 30-21 to take the victory.

Joy Deatherage tallied 16 kills and six digs to lead the way for the Bengals. They finished with 43 assists and digs after hitting .172 for the match.

The Cowgirls were led by sophomore Melissa Robinett, who finished with a team high 16 kills and a phenomenal .714 hitting percentage. She also added three block assists. Senior Rachel Lau also contributed 15 kills and three block solos. The Cowgirls hit over .300 for the first time this season and finished the match with eight blocks.

"I was more pleased with the third game than the first," said head coach Susan Steadman. "We didn't come out and play very well, but we ended up winning the game and continued to gain confidence throughout the match. As a young team, you are always trying to overcome obstacles, and I really couldn't be anymore happy with the way we're playing right now. We're still making mistakes, but volleyball is a sport that lends itself to more mistakes than successes. I'm very proud of our team and of Rachel Lau, who had a great match. Shannon Patrick came in and played some defense after starting out slowly. Overall, it was a great team effort, we just need to keep it up against Wake Forest."

Wake Forest was led by senior Margaret Davidson, who finished with nine kills. Trina Maso de Moya also added 13 digs.

Wyoming was led by freshman Sara Maytorena, who tallied 14 kills, 12 digs and hit .500 on the night. The Cowgirls hit .293 for the match and notched seven blocks. Senior Rachel Lau was named the MVP of the tournament and Michele Rauter earned All-Tournament Team honors for the second time this season.

"It's awesome to win this tournament," said head coach Susan Steadman. "We haven't won four straight matches in long time. I feel better than I did the day I stepped on the Wyoming campus. I'm very proud of this group, a little shocked that we were able to go the entire weekend playing good volleyball. They continued to raise their level of play, and I'm very excited. We have great potential to do well next week when we go on the road, and I think we've done everything to prepare for that."

The Cowgirls now run their record to 4-2. They will be on the road next week as they travel to Baltimore, Md and Washington D.C. They will face UM-Baltimore County on Wednesday night, and then play in the Georgetown Classic with match-ups with East Carolina, Cornell and host school Georgetown.

2001 UniWyo Cowgirl Classic All-Tournament Team

Team Champion

Wyoming Cowgirls

Most Valuable Player

Rachel Lau, Wyoming

All-Tournament Team

Michele Rauter, Wyoming

Margaret Davidson, Wake Forest

Trina Maso de Moya, Wake Forest

Denise Griffin, Oklahoma

Melanie Tucker, Idaho State

Olaya Pazo, UT-Arlington