One-on-one with UTEP’s Ben Wallis; Miners gearing up for two match series against rival NMSU

EL PASO, Texas - UTEP Volleyball (14-2, 4-0 Conference USA) is gearing up for an intense mid-week rivalry matchup against NM State in the Battle of I-10 on October 8-9 at Club Memorial.

Both matches are set to begin at 6 p.m. MDT, as the Miners and Aggies renew one of the region's fiercest volleyball rivalries.

  TICKETS     
Season ($85) and single-game tickets ($10) can be purchased through the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office by calling (915) 747-UTEP, emailing tickets@utep.edu, visiting www.UTEPMiners.com/Tickets or in person at 201 Glory Road (Brumbelow Building, UTEP campus) Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Group tickets are also available for $5 (minimum of 10 tickets).     

HITTING WITH CONSISTENCY       
UTEP is hitting .288 paced by two Miners who are killing it at or above the mark. Kaya Weaver (.451) leads the team among players with at least 90 kills. The UTEP offense sits 13th in the nation in hitting percentage while leading CUSA.         

  BLOCK PARTY       
The Miners registered 16 blocks in the 3-0 sweep against Utah State on Sept. 1. Kaya Weaver leads the team with 83 blocks. Nationally, UTEP is 7th in blocks per set (2.97) while leading CUSA and 14th in team total blocks (160.5).    

  BALANCED ATTACK       
UTEP showed a balanced attack against Sam Houston, with three Miners blasting home at least 3.0 kills per set. Among players with at least 19 kills over the weekend, Ema Uskokovic (25 kills, 4.00k/s) led the way with Torrance Lovesee and Kaya Weaver (19 kills, 3.17k/s) getting after it as well.  

THE OPPONENT       
NM State  

• NMSU enters the series at 9-7 (3-1 CUSA).    
• Last Week: On the 50th anniversary of NM State Volleyball's first match, the Aggies swept LA Tech for their 957th all-time win, led by double-digit kills from four players, including Kacia Brown and Mari Sharp. The victory improved NM State to 8-7 overall and 1-1 in CUSA play. Building on that, the Aggies secured their third straight win on Saturday with 67 kills, their highest since November 2022. Sharp and Yasso Amin each tallied 18 kills, lifting the team to a 9-7 record, two games above .500 for the first time this season. 
• Team Ranks: NMSU ranks among the NCAA’s top 30, leading Conference USA in key categories: #22 in team kills (829) and #30 in team assists (756). 
• Player Ranks: Individually, Darian Markham ranks 91st nationally with 238 digs (5th in CUSA), while Starr Williams is 96th in total kills (204), also placing 5th in the conference. 
• Series: NM State leads the all-time series against UTEP 66-25-1, with the teams first meeting in 1974 and playing every season since; the lone tie came in 1981 (1-1). Last season the teams split the series, with UTEP winning the first match in four sets and NM State taking the second in five. 

“This rivalry is a big deal for El Paso—anytime we play NM State, it's a big deal, conference game or not,” said head coach Ben Wallis. “Having gone to school and worked at NM State under Mike Jordan, it’s always fun for me to go up against my former team, school, and mentor, who’s one of my best friends. Once that first whistle blows, though, we’re doing everything we can to beat each other. They’ve got a dangerous, physical team that’s statistically one of the best in the conference, and we’ll both need to play good volleyball to win. It’s going to be loud, intense, and a lot of fun with two good teams battling it out. I enjoy coaching these matches, and I know Mike does too.”