The UC Santa Barbara Women’s Volleyball team began their Mountain West expedition Thursday night with a match against the University of Wyoming at the UniWyo Invite.

Despite incredible individual performances, the Cowgirls defended their home court and took the match 3-2. 

The teams stayed tied through 9-9, after which the Cowgirls garnered a several-point lead. Wyoming managed to stay at least three points ahead for the rest of the set, then took it 25-21. Auburn Tomkinson led all hitters with 5 kills in the first set and hit .833 to lead the match offensively. 

The second set saw a tie all the way to 15-15, with neither team reaching more than a two-point lead until the Gauchos reached 19-16. Santa Barbara was four points ahead at 20-16, but Wyoming made four points in a row to take a new lead at 22-21.

Wyoming pushed ahead to 24-23, but a solo block by Bella Mathis held them off. A kill from Gabi Martinez and a Wyoming error took the Gauchos to a set win of 26-24. 

Santa Barbara was in the lead for the majority of the fourth set, but a late comeback for Wyoming would give the set to them. The Cowgirls came back to tie it at 25-25, then pushed ahead to take it 27-25. 

The Gauchos dominated the fourth set, winning it 25-15. After two back-to-back kills by Sophia Wendlick made it 7-4, the Gauchos tore ahead.

They reached their first ten-point lead at 22-12, kept it, and took the fourth to send it to five. The fifth set went back to the Cowgirls, who won it 15-16 for their third home win.

Three Gauchos made 12+ kills against the Cowgirls, Gabi Martinez leading the way with a season-high 17. Sophia Wendlick has now hit double-digit kills for every match so far, making 16 against Wyoming. Auburn Tomkinson made 12 for her second-highest total of the season and third match in a row with double digits. 

Three Gauchos also made double-digit digs, with Cortni Youngblood’s 18 __ as the most. Gabi Martinez picked up a double-double, making 13 digs on top of her 17 kills. Ayva Ostovar made 13 digs and 21 assists for a double-double of her own. 

Milan Rex lifted 29 assists to match her career best, which she set on Sept. 13, 2025, versus Northern Colorado. 

Martinez passed 35 receptions with just one error, while Bianca Nistor gave two service errors. Bella Mathis made two solo blocks for the second time this season. Reilly Goueth had her career best in six categories, including four kills and two blocks. 

The Gauchos go south to Fort Collins, where they’ll face Colorado State at 5:00 p.m. PT. On Sunday, Santa Barbara will see South Dakota at 11 a.m. PT.Â