Sunshine grabs a football and throws it 60-some yards and hits the formerly-racist-but-now-accepting-of-his-black-teammates linebacker Gerry Bertier in the shoulder pads.

I hear this is how Austyn Carta-Samuels’ brief two-year career began at the University of Wyoming. That’s of course leaving out the fact that we already had a quarterback, because all we had was Dax Crum. Also, Carta-Samuels best attribute as a signal-caller was not his arm; it was his ability to use his legs. I won’t go as far as to say he throws like a girl, because that’s a third grade insult, but I will say that he throws like he’s from California. (Nor am I suggesting that the Cowboys had any sort of racial divide like in that movie, just to clear that up)

I guess the only thing that makes sense about this analogy is the blond haired kid from California.

Last year I saw an absolutely poignant photo of the football star someone caught while shooting a basketball game. Carta-Samuels, sporting a tight, white polo shirt with the collar popped up ever so stylishly, wearing a backwards LA Dodgers hat with his arm around some young lady right in the front row of the AA – like he thought he was LeBron or something.

I guess I’m not surprised he left, I’m just surprised there wasn’t a one-hour special on The Mtn., where he proclaimed that he was “Taking his talents to South Beach.”

The first way our program is going to get any better is if Christensen can build a recruiting base over a few years. In the months since the Cowboys finished their season, that hasn’t exactly happened.

Strong safety Shamiel Gary, kicker Ian Watts, wide receiver David Tooley, and, of course, the ‘Magna’ Carta-Samuels have all left the program.

Aside from “Remember the Titans” analogies, perhaps the other thing that the exit of Carta-Samuels brings to mind is similar exits of players from the Cowboy basketball team during the past few years. Scholarship players have bolted from the hoops team like it was going out of style in the years since Heath Schroyer has been coach.

Apparently, it’s becoming an epidemic in the likes of overrated athletic programs on this campus, i.e. football and basketball.

I understand the desire to leave a place like Laramie, especially in mid-January. California sounds really nice this time of year. On top of the ruthless, frigid weather, I couldn’t imagine playing for the Cowboys, it’s hard enough to watch them.

Not that anyone cares, but I also don’t believe he can be viewed as a highly desired prospect. There are deceiving statistics that might make teams think so, but all you have to do is watch him play.

He threw for 3,655 yards and 19 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions in two seasons, and he rushed for 758 yards and six touchdowns. The Cowboys won nine games and lost 13 that he started.

I don’t see him as a quarterback that can sustain drives, and I don’t believe that he’s anything more than a high school-style, running quarterback that is entirely too hesitant to throw the football sometimes.

Yes, he played a tough schedule both years that he was here. Yes, his receiving core and offensive line wasn’t outstanding. But the one thing I always wanted to see, and never did, was a big upset win from the guy.

In the past two years, Wyoming played No. 2 Texas (eventual BCS national runner up), BYU, TCU and Utah in 2009 when they were all very good teams, No. 3 Boise State this year, and another run against TCU and Utah this year. TCU won the Rose Bowl and Utah was ranked all season.

There’s no question that this schedule was quite formidable, but here are a few more stats that stick out to me.

Of his nine wins, not one came against a ranked opponent, and the combined record of the teams that the Cowboys defeated in the last two years with Carta-Samuels under center (all but two) is 43-66. Six of those points came from 1-AA Independent Southern Utah, which Wyoming beat 28-20 this year at home, and Wyoming’s combined margin of victory in seven of Carta-Samuels’ nine wins was 26 points. It’s largest margin of victory in that stretch was eight points.

The two wins not included in that stretch were against CSU this year when the Cowboys won 44-0, and their 2009 win over New Mexico 37-13. By the way, New Mexico has had two straight 1-11 seasons, with it’s one win this year coming against Carta-Samuels and the Cowboys.

It’s not that he didn’t do some good things as a true freshman, but that bowl run still seems to me as six wins against teams the Cowboys were supposed to beat. It was the same story this year. Three wins against teams we were supposed to beat – and not a single other win for that matter.

Did you ever notice how NFL teams switch quarterbacks after three losses even if it’s not the quarterback’s fault sometimes? I think Cowboy fans can view this as that sort of shift – even if it wasn’t a decision made by the coaching staff.

Sure, it’s obviously harsh to blame all this on one kid from California, but I’ll be the first to say I’m not devastated by his departure.

Later bro’, hang ten.

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Unfortunately for the Cowgirls, the Horned Frogs were too much to handle Wednesday night, giving Wyoming arguably their toughest loss of the season, going down 68-47 to an impressive TCU team.

Senior guard Aubrey Vandiver gave Wyoming their first lead at 7-6 with a fade away jumper on the baseline before TCU went on a 7-0 run to make the score 13-7. The Cowgirls would take the lead again at 18-17 after a crowd-rousing layup from senior forward Hillary Carlson.

TCU would eventually end the first half with a 27-24 lead after a last second lay-in by sophomore forward Starr Crawford.

Crawford led the way for the Horned Frogs in the first half with six points and seven rebounds in just 14 minutes of play.

Vandiver was the star of the first half for Wyoming going 5-8 for 11 points while Carlson added six points and four rebounds.

Wyoming got off to a sluggish start in the second half allowing TCU to expand their lead to 38-26 at the 15:54 mark. TCU’s largest lead of the game was 22 points at the 1:18 mark.

The Cowgirls shot a meager 36.5% from the field and senior forward Hillary Carlson had one of her worst outings of the season, going scoreless in the first half.

Sophomore forward Chaundra Sewell was tops for the Cowgirls in points and rebounds with 18 and 9. Vandiver added 16 points for the Cowgirls.

Head coach Joe Legerski said in his postgame conference that TCU was the best team they’ve played all season and there’s a reason why they won the conference last season. He emphasized the fact that TCU has a very balanced team, seven players had between 6 and 11 points, and is hard to guard collectively.

“You don’t come into this place and think you are going to have a game like this. They have an excellent team and we were fortunate to play really well,” TCU coach Jeff Mittie said after the game. “You know how tough it is to come up here and leave with a win because [Wyoming] has such a quality team… it feels good.”

The Cowgirls head to Salt Lake City to take on Utah squad on Wednesday, January 19th at 3 p.m.

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Their other five victories were against Westminster (Utah), Washington State, Montana, Utah State, and New Mexico. They also beat Montana-Western in an exhibition matchup. The Cowgirls’ record currently stands at 11-3 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West conference.

With momentum on their side, the Cowgirls continue conference play tonight against the Texas Christian Horned Frogs (10-6, 2-0) in the Arena-Auditorium at 7 p.m.

The Cowgirls and Horned Frogs are two of the best teams in the Mountain West Conference so far this season. TCU currently sits at third in MWC standings while Wyoming boasts the top spot. So far TCU has the highest scoring offense in the MWC with 71.1 points per game while Wyoming possesses the best scoring defense allowing only 54.7 points per game. Additionally, both teams rank in the top five in the MWC in most major statistical categories.

Wyoming is led by senior forward Hillary Carlson, who was recently named the MWC Co-Player of the Week and averages 18.5 points per game. Senior guard Aubrey Vandiver leads the team with 9.9 rebounds a game and is second on the team with 17.7 points a game, according to Wyoming Athletics.

Senior guard Emily Carter leads TCU with 19.7 points per game and senior guard Helena Sverrisdottir is tops on the team with 4.3 assists per game while adding 17.3 points per game, according to TCU Athletics.

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Mike Morris:

The Cowboys picked up their most significant win of the season – and perhaps in recent program history – on Saturday when junior guard Paco Cruz hit a desperation shot at the buzzer to give Wyoming a 67-66 win over a good New Mexico team.

Wyoming had been shakier than a first-time snowboarder on a double black diamond in its first 15 contests, but against New Mexico, the Cowboys finally, finally played to their potential and put together a complete 40 minutes. It was the type of performance which – if the Cowboys can find a way to replicate it – gives reason to believe Wyoming can truly be competitive throughout the remainder of the MWC conference schedule. The intensity and toughness of a returning Adam Waddell was especially reassuring, as Waddell put up 16 and 8 against the Lobos in just 23 minutes, and New Mexico simply had no one who could match up with the 6’10 big man on Saturday.

If Waddell’s health continues to improve and the Cowboys continue to develop chemistry and depth – Daylen Harrison had 17 points off the bench against the Lobos – Wyoming men’s basketball will experience a truly exciting spring for the first time in years.

The status of Afam Muojeke’s injured knee still presides over the team’s post-season aspirations, and Muojeke is still nowhere near being able to channel his capability to be one of the most dominant scorers in the entire conference.

The Cowboys will need to continue to improve and develop over the remainder of the conference schedule and try to lock up a five or a six seed for the conference tournament in March.

If by then Muojeke’s knee has healed enough for him to be an effective scorer, Wyoming will be very much capable of putting together a magical 3-game run in the MWC tourney and, yes, dancing with a little March Madness.

As for the Cowgirls, a stellar 11-3 start – by an experienced squad which seems to improve with each game – has expectations soaring in Laramie.

A conference title, 22 or more wins, and an appearance in the NCAA tournament all seem more and more possible with each passing victory by the Cowgirls.

Zach Greubel:

After the men’s basketball team’s embarrassing loss to Colorado State and before their thrilling victory over New Mexico I thought conference play might be the same as it was last season- atrocious. However, the win against the Lobos may spark new life. Granted, they beat San Diego State at this point last season and still had a miserable season in conference play. On the bright side, junior center Adam Waddell is back from injury, hopefully for good, and gives the Cowboys some leadership on the court. Plus, they did just beat one of the best teams in the conference. We’ll see if the win against New Mexico maintains momentum through their conference season.

The Cowgirl basketball team looks primed for another promising season in conference play.  They’ve already beat Colorado State, by 40 points, and New Mexico but have their first big conference test against Texas Christian on Wednesday night. They’re the best team in the conference right now and shouldn’t stray too far from the top of the conference standings throughout the season.

Brad Estes:

The men’s loss to CSU was not encouraging. It reminds me of a team that came up short and couldn’t finish games so many times last year. The buzzer beater New Mexico win is a good win, any win is a good win for the Cowboys. After a non-conference schedule that wouldn’t have scared a high school team, its hard to make predictions for the rest of the year. Losses to teams like South Dakota, North Florida and Green Bay make it difficult to believe that the team can win consistently.

San Diego State and BYU are both impressive teams and ranked in the top 10, and those games might be worth going to see just for that fact. It all depends on how many times the Cowboys decide to show up and play like they did against New Mexico. The losses are more telling than the wins so far, and until the wins start to add up a little more, I will wait to call them even a fifth place finish in the conference.

The Cowgirls are playing well and are coached well, so they will be at the top of the conference all year. Forty point victories over conference opponents are always encouraging. A win against TCU at home tomorrow night would also be big. As a young team, the only thing to be worried about would be consistency late in the year, but so far the Cowgirls have been just that.

Tom Hesse:

I usually peg the Cowgirls for a team that comes on late in the season but they’ve looked like world beaters in their first two conference games. They should have beaten CSU without question but I didn’t see an 83-43 dismantling in them and their ten-point win in Albuquerque showed a convincing road win that I wouldn’t have looked for in a team that is a little on the young side. The Cowgirls haven’t lost in nearly a month and if they take care of the home court this Wednesday, I think they have a real shot at one of those top three spots in the conference.

I was critical of the Cowboys early in the season and I’m still not sure to make of them. All I know is that Francisco Cruz’s intangibles made him a favorite of mine early in the season and his shot to bury the Lobos has made Cruz my favorite player to watch. If the Cowboys can play half as scrappy as they did against New Mexico for the rest of the season then They have a legitimate claim to the upper half of this conference.  That CSU loss still hurts and the MWC is incredibly tough this year but I’m very excited to see this team against UNLV, BYU and SDSU. There are a lot of things to like about this team and they’re still evolving. I’ll optimistically stick them at fifth in the conference with a shot at fourth.

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As the ball careened off the rim once, and then again, hope faded to an imperceptible glimmer for Wyoming, and it appeared all but certain that the Cowboys and fourth-year head coach Heath Schroyer would once again come up heartbreakingly short in a crucial conference game against a top opponent.  

Sophomore wing Daylen Harrison grabbed a rebound and fired a desperation heave from the corner in the game’s dwindling moments, but Harrison’s shot clanged off the side of the rim and – for the briefest of moments – the ball hovered over the court like an errant balloon.

A forest of arms rose up under the hoop, and the Arena-Auditorium trembled under the tension of the baited breaths of 4,404 people as the clock ticked down to :01.   

With a sea of tumult thrashing about around him, Francisco Cruz grabbed the loose ball and – falling backwards – threw up one final prayer.

The buzzer sounded. The net rippled. A celebration of brown and gold erupted.

And a team’s entire season – and identity – may have undergone a complete transformation in the blink of an eye.

Cruz’s floater over the outstretched arm of New Mexico forward Alex Kirk proved to be the clincher in Wyoming’s 67-66 win over the Lobos on Saturday—ending a thriller of white-knuckle proportions which was anything but just another conference game for the Cowboys.

“It was a big win for our program and our team, and it was great for our kids,” Schroyer said in his press conference following the game.

Photo: DJ Bowman

“New Mexico is an unbelievable program with outstanding players and coaches. For us to get a win over a quality program like this is a big step in the right direction for our team.”

In a season which has been – in its young lifespan – tumultuous at best, and often thoroughly disappointing, Wyoming (8-8, 1-1 MWC) finally played to its potential and put together the signature win it has been searching for – and perhaps the very win Schroyer has been searching for throughout the past four seasons.

Hampered by nagging injuries to two of its top contributors – juniors Afam Muojeke and Adam Waddell – Wyoming had looked shaky in its first 15 contests of its 2010-11 campaign, as inconsistency and youth plagued the team in disappointing non-conference setbacks to Northern Colorado, North Florida, South Dakota, UC Irvine, and Wisconsin-Green Bay. 

The memories of a dismal 2009-10 season began to resurface after Wyoming blew a 13-point first half lead in its conference opener at rival Colorado State, as the Rams outscored the Cowboys 36-21 in the second half and ultimately put Wyoming away by a 73-60 margin.

Against New Mexico on Saturday, however, the Cowboys stood toe-to-toe with a formidable, 12 win team, conceding nothing to the defending conference champions.

Wyoming shot the ball well, hitting on 52.4 percent of its shots, and the Cowboys kept pace with the heavily favored Lobos thanks largely to two gutsy bench performances.

Harrison – who had struggled noticeably from the field in recent performances and did not see action against CSU – had a career afternoon, scoring 17 points on 6-7 shooting and pulling down four crucial rebounds.

“I thought Daylen was spectacular,” Schroyer said. “This was the Daylen we thought he could be. He was aggressive, and made the most of his opportunities today.”

Perhaps even more critical – and encouraging for the rest of the season – was the stellar performance from Waddell.

The 6’10 big man has been hobbled by an Achilles injury dating back to last season – missing a good portion of the nonconference season – but on Saturday he showed up in dominant fashion, even if his health still is not at 100 percent.

Waddell came through with 16 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of blocks in just 23 minutes of action – an impressive performance, which gives renewed optimism to Wyoming’s inside game if Waddell’s health continues to improve over the course of the season.

“We had no post that could guard Waddell,” New Mexico head coach Steve Alford said.

“Waddell did a heck of a job.”

“To have a healthy Adam Waddell, it really makes a difference,” Schroyer added.

Still, despite the efforts of Harrison, Waddell, and Desmar Jackson, who added 15 points of his own, it appeared as though it would be all for naught for the Cowboys when senior Lobo guard Dairese Gary, who led New Mexico with 24 points, sank two free throws to give the Lobos a 66-65 lead in the game’s waning moments.

A year ago in Laramie, UW went the distance with a leviathan New Mexico squad which finished the season 30-5, only to falter in the game’s closing moments and lose a 70-68 heartbreaker.

The Cowboys never recovered from the loss, struggling throughout the rest of the season and finishing with a 3-13 conference mark.

This year was different though, and only time will tell just how significant of a win it was.

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The real champion of the underdogs is Matt “looks like the manager at Radio Shack, only taller” Hasselbeck and the now 8-9 Seattle Seahawks.

Seattle’s 41-36 victory over the former champions was nothing more than a farce, and as a fan I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Maybe this win is a sign that Pete Carroll—with the blood of the USC football program still on his hands—and the Seahawks have all bought into the high-energy style that helped propel USC to the top of college football, well, that and numerous NCAA violations.

There was more to this win than a collective spirit of nothing-to-lose and limitless energy. Pete Carroll did not single-handedly inspire this team; although his tactics certainly played a large part in what this team accomplished.

The beautiful thing about what Seattle did on Saturday was that it reminded us that the most dangerous weapon on the football field is a team with something to prove. There is perhaps no feeling that can will a team to win more than a feeling of disrespect.

Since the second week of the season, there was no doubt in the sporting world that the winner of the NFC West was not going to belong in the playoffs. The Rams and Seahawks jockeyed for the position of “worst team to ever make the playoffs” the entire season. Throughout the season, Seattle knew that their success would ultimately be deemed a failure.

On The Onion website there was a story explaining how New Orleans had earned a first round bye since they drew Seattle in round one.

Las Vegas opened the point spread by favoring New Orleans by 10 and a half points at Seattle.

Countless commentators joked about the Seahawks deciding between Charlie Whitehurst and a washed-up Matt Hasselbeck for the starting quarterback position.

The NFL began discussing the implementation of a rule that would require a team to have at least an 8-8 record to make the playoffs.

Seattle’s best receiver was a well-known head case that had been out of football for two years.

Seattle’s best running back was a well-known head case that vanished in Buffalo.

The 7-9 Seattle Seahawks could not beat the New Orleans Saints.

However, Seattle’s washed up quarterback threw four touchdowns, one of which went to former head case Mike Williams and another to 34 year-old Brandon Stokley. Meanwhile, Marshawn Lynch ran for 131 yards including the game-sealing touchdown, when he broke eight tackles and vaulted himself into a permanent place with NFL playoff highlights.

Finally, Pete Carroll coached an incredible game; the same Pete Carroll who floundered in his first attempt to coach in the NFL and who left the USC program in shambles.

Seattle was the most dangerous team during wildcard weekend, and they made a huge statement for the NFL. A team with something to prove is a team no one should want to play.

However, for me, 7-9 Seattle meant something more. Last semester, I wrote a satirical piece diagramming who could win the NFC West.

I desperately hoped that the division would be won with a losing record, and having my wish granted made the season for me.

When the Seahawks made the playoffs, Pete Carroll said that he thought it was “pretty cool” that they were the first team to make the playoffs without a winning record.

I have one last request of the Seahawks and that is for Pete Carroll to stand at the pre-game press conference this week and tell the reporters with a straight face that this is a big game for them because it gives their team a shot to get back to .500 on the season.

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The Cowgirls traveled to Northridge, California over Thanksgiving break and returned to Laramie with a little extra weight in their luggage—a tournament championship trophy.

In the first game of the Woodland Hills Holiday Inn Thanksgiving Basketball Classic Friday, the Cowgirls played the Chattanooga Lady Mocs. 

Led by the strong play and double-double performance of senior guard Aubrey Vandiver, the Cowgirls were able to escape defeat and head to the championship game against the Wichita State Shockers. 

“Aubrey played as good a 40 minutes that I’ve seen from a player,” Cowgirl head coach Joe Legerski told Wyoming Athletics. 

“Not only did she have 31 points and 14 rebounds, she had a great defensive performance as well. I thought we came out and executed the game plan from the beginning, hit some shots, which gave us confidence. Chattanooga is a good basketball team. They’ve won their conference several years in a row and made it to postseason. This is a big win for us as a program.”

Vandiver ended the game with a career-high 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Hillary Carlson added 10 points and three boards, while Kristen Scheffler chipped in with eight points of her own.

The Cowgirls led by six at halftime, but a Chattanooga comeback capped off by a three-pointer with less than a minute to go tied the game at 65. Vandiver continued her aggressive play, drawing a foul with less than thirty seconds left and hitting the game clinching free throw. Strong defense and a late steal by forward Jade Kennedy allowed Wyoming to hold on for the 66-65 win.

The win led the Cowgirls to the championship game against the Shockers, who defeated host Cal State Northridge to make their way to the championship. 

The Cowgirls fell behind early but were able to ride the strong play of Vandiver and Carlson to an eight-point victory. 

Vandiver ended with 13 points and seven rebounds while tournament MVP Carlson finished with 18 points and nine boards. Both were named to the All-Tournament Team. Bec Campigli chipped in 14 points to help the Cowgirls earn the championship.

“It was a tremendous performance against a good Wichita State team,” said Legerski. 

“It came down to so many big plays from so many people. We always count on Hillary and Aubrey but I thought Bec (Campigli) gave us a big lift in the first half with 14 points and then the effort by Chaundra Sewell. The group as a whole and which they performed as a whole was a tremendous performance.”

The Cowgirls ended their road trip last night in an 8 p.m. tip-off against UC Irvine in Irvine, California.  Look in for results in Wednesday’s edition of The Branding Iron.

Email: Tyler Reese 

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The first match of the Cowgirl volleyball team’s final home stand will be against conference-leading and No. 15 Colorado State (23-3, 12-1) at 5 p.m. tonight in the UniWyo Sports Complex.

Wyoming (22-7, 7-6) split their last two matches on the road, beating Texas Christian and falling to New Mexico.  

Head coach Carrie Yerty was content with the split but knows the importance of tonight’s match against CSU. “I expect CSU to be a battle like it always is,” Yerty said. “Sometimes records and scores don’t mean a lick when you’re talking about who’s right across the border.” 

Yerty added that the Border War prospect doesn’t really make a difference as far as the team being excited to play. “I don’t think it takes a lot to fire our team up on a regular basis and it certainly doesn’t take a lot to fire them up for CSU. Any time you can play a top-15 team that’s a natural rival you’re going to be fired up and they’re certainly ready.”

The Cowgirls are led by sophomore outside hitter Jodi Purdy who is averaging 3.30 kills per set. Senior outside hitter Lauren Whitney averages 2.61 kills a set and senior middle blocker JennaRae Jester leads the team with 1.37 blocks per set, according to Wyoming Athletics.

Senior outside hitter Danielle Minch leads CSU this season with 3.32 kills per set while redshirt sophomore middle blocker Megan Plourde averages 1.56 blocks per set to lead the Rams, according to CSU Athletics.

“I know that [CSU Head Coach] Tom Hilbert will have his team prepared,” Yerty said. “I know those seniors will want to avenge [their loss against New Mexico] last weekend. I know they’re getting ready for the postseason and fine-tuning things. We’re going to have to play at the very top of our game to beat CSU.”

Wyoming’s final regular season matches this season will be against BYU and Utah next week in Laramie.

Email: Zach Greubel 

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Love snatched 31 rebounds and 31 points in a single game. No player has put up a 30-30 game since Moses Malone back in 1982. None of this is news but, come on, why not give the guy his credit. No one’s done it since 1982! Not Shaq, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard or David Robinson. 

No one else has done it. Kevin Love did it against the New York Knicks and everyone’s favorite lazy power forward: Amare’ Stoudemire.

Kevin Love’s performance was awesome, not only because of the insane numbers, but because of the circumstances. 

Love plays for the worst general manager, David Kahn, on one of the league’s most dismal franchises. Love makes about half of what teammate Darko Milicic makes. 

Milicic plays about 20 minutes a game, and Love is still going out to try and win a game for a franchise that is headed to the NBA draft lottery.

Furthermore, Love managed to embarrass one of my favorite overrated stars. I was in New York for that game, and it was priceless to watch fans try and defend Stoudemire’s…well, I don’t want to call it a performance. 

That would make it sound like he showed up. 

But it was fun to watch fans defending their $100 million jogging expert. I always appreciate when an underpaid player with no incentive to show for himself manages to stick it to one of the league’s least motivated players. 

Let’s face it; there is nothing for Minnesota fans to be excited about. 

Johnny Flynn is hurt. Ricky Rubio still won’t show up, and David Kahn decided to pay everyone’s favorite draft pick $20 million because any time you get the chance to pay a never-was big man $4 million a year for laughable production, you got to do it.

Love is making an effort to break that cycle. It’s no secret that Love would rather be on a team that at least pretended like it had aspirations of winning. 

Love deserves to be a contender, and when his contract runs out, I’m sure every team in the league is going to be hunting for the services of perhaps the best young power combination of forward/center, who doesn’t care about scoring.

Love will win an NBA title for no other reason than that he is such a valuable commodity, and that any halfway decent team would contend for the title with him on it.

For now, however, Love is in one of the three worst situations in basketball. 

So, he went out and did everything he could for the T-Wolves. Not only did he produce an incredible stat line, but Love helped that team beat the Knicks. 

Much of Love’s production came in the second half when the Knicks were leading by double digits.

Rarely do we find reasons to cheer an NBA player’s work ethic in the month of November. 

So, when we do have a reason, it would be hypocritical not to. 

Nice work Kevin Love and keep your chin up, surely the United Nations can prosecute David Kahn for crimes against humanity if no one can work out a trade for you.

 Email the author: thesse@uwyo.edu 

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Against TCU, the Cowgirls won the first set 25-21 before losing a hard-fought second set 23-25. The next two sets were won by Wyoming as they finished the Horned Frogs with scores of 25-18 and 25-16.

“Going to TCU and beating them on their home floor was big,” head coach Carrie Yerty said. “We played well and hopefully that will carry us into some momentum coming home.”

Wyoming was led by sophomore outside hitter Jodi Purdy against TCU who recorded a double-double with 16 kills and 16 digs, both leading the team. Senior middle blocker JennaRae Jester added five blocks, according to Wyoming Athletics.

TCU senior outside hitter Irene Hester tallied a team leading 16 kills for the Horned Frogs and senior middle blocker Christy Hudson added a double-double of her own with 10 kills and 10 digs, according to Wyoming Athletics.

Wyoming’s final road match of the season was not one to remember as they suffered a three-set sweep in Albuquerque Saturday, 21-25, 15-25, 19-25.

“It was unfortunate that we had to play New Mexico right after they beat CSU because they were pretty fired up,” Yerty said. “[They are] peaking and going to represent our conference well at the NCAA Tournament.”

After their close loss in the first set, Wyoming could not rebound and only managed a meager hitting percentage of .106 for the entire match.

Jodi Purdy lead the offense again with eight kills. Senior outside hitter Lauren Whitney added five kills and 11 digs, according to Wyoming Athletics.

The Lobos were led by junior outside hitter Kelly Williamson who racked up a team high 15 kills. Current MWC Player of the Week Lisa Meeter added a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs.

The Cowgirls will take on No. 15 Colorado State as they begin their final home stand at 5 p.m. Thursday in the UniWyo Sports Complex.

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