Entering this year, Wyoming coach Joe Legerski was optimistic about his team's chances of making it back to the postseason for a fourth consecutive season.

That optimism took a hit last month when junior guard Aubrey Vandiver, the Cowgirls' leading returning scorer, was sidelined by a bout of mononucleosis.

While Vandiver has been limited to "about 10 to 15 minutes of practice" a day, UW has Legerski once again looking on the bright side after opening the season with a road win at Denver before losing at Montana.

"I was highly pleased considering we have such a young team," Legerski said. "To open on the road and to play as well as we did was impressive."

The reason for Legerski's renewed optimism centered around the play of freshmen Emma Langford and Lovell's Kristen Scheffler.

The 6-foot-2 Langford scored 31 points - including a game-high 20 against Montana - in the first two games. Scheffler came off the bench to total 33 points on 11-of-21 3-point shooting.

"We got great play from Kristen and Emma," Legerski said. "They showed a great deal of maturity and gave us a chance to win.

"I thought they played with confidence and poise."

The Cowgirls also got solid games from sophomore point guard Randi Richardson and senior guard Megan McGuffey (Cheyenne East), who had 15 points and 10 rebounds against Montana.

However, senior posts Rebecca Vanderjagt and Elisabeth Dissen struggled at times. While Vanderjagt did grab seven rebounds at Denver she failed to score in either game. Dissen, after scoring 11 points and hauling down seven rebounds at Denver, was held scoreless in 14 minutes at Montana.

Legerski knows he is going to need more production from his seniors as the season continues.

"I thought against Montana, (the Grizzlies') experience showed down the stretch," he said. "And we've got a lot of games coming up against high-quality teams. … So this team has to grow up quickly."

UW's next test comes against North Dakota tonight.

The Fighting Sioux are 1-1 in their first season in Division I after making their mark as a Division II power. North Dakota was the DII national champion in 2007.

"What I can tell you about North Dakota is that they win," Legerski said. "And when you're used to winning that says a lot about a program."

Senior forward Kierah Kimbrough, a DII All-America selection last season, leads the Fighting Sioux. The 6-1 Kimbrough averages 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

"Our young players stepped forward (last week)," Legerski said. "Now we need to find out if they will continue to do that."

Contact sports editor Jack Nowlin at (307) 266-0528 or jack.nowlin@trib.com.

Cowgirls Tracker

TONIGHT: North Dakota at Wyoming, 7 p.m., Arena-Auditorium, Laramie.

RECORDS: Fighting Sioux (1-1, 0-0 Great West Conference); Cowgirls (1-1, 0-0 Mountain West Conference).

WELCOME TO THE RANKS: North Dakota is in its first year of Division I play.

FRESH FACES: UW freshmen Emma Langford and Kristen Scheffler combined to score 64 points in the Cowgirls' first two games.