Miners Leave Bearkats in Rearview Mirror, Cruise to 3-0 Victory 

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- UTEP volleyball earned its fifth consecutive sweep with a 3-0 (27-25, 25-12, 25-21) victory over Sam Houston on Saturday afternoon at Club Memorial. The Miners showcased a balanced offensive attack and strong defensive presence to control the match, securing their second straight win over the Bearkats and continuing their impressive run in front of an energetic home crowd. 

UTEP improves to 14-2 (4-0 Conference USA) while Sam Houston drops to 7-8 (2-2 CUSA).  

MATCH SUMMARY     
UTEP started strong in their Conference USA home opener against Sam Houston, taking an early lead in the first set, though the Bearkats kept the score close. The Miners capitalized on Sam Houston’s errors and key kills from Ema Uskokovic and Kaya Weaver to secure a 27-25 win in the opening set. UTEP dominated the second set, jumping ahead 9-3 after a string of aces from Kalia Kohler, and continued to extend their lead with kills from Torrance Lovesee and Weaver, ultimately taking the set 25-12. In the third set, UTEP maintained control, using strong blocking and aces from Uskokovic to pull away. Despite a late push by Sam Houston, Uskokovic’s final kill sealed the 25-21 win, completing the sweep. 

LEADERBOARD        

• Three Miners registered double-digit kills with Ema Uskokovic leading the way with a match-high 14 kills while hitting .393. Torrance Lovesee followed with 12 kills (.217), and Kaya Weaver added 11 kills with an impressive .474 hitting percentage.  
• Mattie Gantt (24 assists) and Kalia Kohler (19 assists) combined for 43 assists, orchestrating UTEP’s offense to a .314 hitting percentage.
• Uskokovic also contributed a match-high 4 aces.
• Alyssa Sianez led the defense with 10 digs.
• Weaver and Danika Washington each tallied 3 blocks.
• Uskokovic finished with a match-high of 19.0 points. 

SPLIT BOX        
UTEP held the all-around statistical advantage in kills (48-33), service aces (10-3), and blocks (6-3). UTEP registered a .314 hitting percentage and held Sam Houston to a .225 H%.  

SET-BY-SET       
ONE | UTEP jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with kills by Kaya Weaver and Ema Uskokovic, but Sam Houston quickly responded, tying the set at 3-3. The teams traded points until UTEP went on a small run, extending their lead to 9-7 with a series of errors by Sam Houston. The Miners capitalized on Sam Houston’s mistakes and a kill by Torrance Lovesee pushed the score to 12-10. UTEP gained momentum with back-to-back kills from Uskokovic and Weaver, forcing Sam Houston into a timeout at 22-19. The Bearkats fought back to tie the set at 24-24, but Uskokovic's kill and a Sam Houston error sealed the set for UTEP, 27-25. 

TWO | The Miners came out strong in the second set, with early kills by Uskokovic and Lovesee. After a service ace from Kalia Kohler, UTEP extended its lead to 7-3 and kept the pressure on with another ace by Kohler at 8-3, prompting a Sam Houston timeout. UTEP’s dominance continued with a balanced attack, as kills from Weaver, Washington, and Lovesee stretched the lead to 19-9. An ace from Uskokovic and another from Alyssa Sianez helped the Miners control the set. UTEP finished the second set comfortably, 25-12, on a Sam Houston error. 

THREE | UTEP carried its momentum into the third set with a kill from Uskokovic to take the first point. Both teams battled closely, trading points until UTEP began to pull ahead 10-7 with blocks from Washington and Uskokovic. Uskokovic fired off two consecutive aces, giving the Miners a 13-9 advantage and forcing Sam Houston into another timeout. UTEP's blocking prowess shone as Weaver and Lovesee combined for a key block, making it 20-17. Uskokovic put the finishing touch on the match with a kill, sealing the set 25-21 and completing the sweep. 

"I was really excited about how hard Sam Houston played because we pushed them around yesterday," head coach Ben Wallis said. "It got a little ugly there at the end, but both teams were extremely competitive. We executed better when we needed to, and Sam Houston came in here trying to steal a win in El Paso, which is what everyone is going to try to do to us. Our crowd was great, the atmosphere was spectacular, and our serve today was exceptional. We were hitting some tough ones early, but Sam Houston was passing well, so we switched it up with a couple of different pitches — a curveball and a changeup — which really got them on their heels. It was a great job from the service line, and Courtney Johnson did a fantastic job pushing and pulling the pieces, which ultimately changed the game after the first set." 

UP NEXT           
The Miners continues their four-match homestand as they welcome NM State for the Battle of I-10 on October 8-9 at Club Memorial, with both matches starting at 6 p.m. MDT.