UTEP wins Battle of I-10 against NM State, 3-1 

EL PASO, Texas - In front of a raucous crowd of over 2,300 fans at Club Memorial on Wednesday night, Alyssa Sianez etched her name in UTEP Volleyball history, becoming the program’s all-time career leader in digs.

The Miners capped off the milestone moment by defeating NM State 3-1 (25-11, 25-16, 21-25, 25-17). 

UTEP improves to 16-2 (6-0 Conference USA) while NM State drops to 9-9 (3-3 CUSA). 

"Any win over New Mexico State is a good one," said UTEP head coach Ben Wallis. “These two wins were big. Anytime you can get back-to-back wins over a rival, it’s an emotional drain. Our players found a way to win and really pushed around a great NM State team, mostly from the service line." 

MATCH SUMMARY       
UTEP opened strong, dominating NM State 25-11 in the first set with key plays from Kaya Weaver and Kalia Kohler. The Miners kept the momentum in the second set, winning 25-16 behind powerful serves and solid defense. NM State bounced back to take the third set 25-21, but UTEP responded quickly in the fourth. Dominant serving and a solid defense helped the Miners close out the set 25-17, clinching the match 3-1. 

LEADERBOARD          

• Kaya Weaver led UTEP’s offense with 12 kills while hitting an impressive .647 and tallying a match-high 15.5 points.  
• The Miners' setting duo of Kalia Kohler and Mattie Gantt combined for 40 assists, with Kohler dishing out 22 and Gantt contributing 18, guiding the team to a solid .283 hitting percentage.  
• Kohler also dominated from the service line, recording 6 aces. 
• Alyssa Sianez anchored the defense with 18 digs.  
• At the net, Weaver, Torrance Lovesee, and Danika Washington each contributed 4 blocks.

SPLIT BOX          
UTEP held the all-around statistical advantage in kills (51-36), service aces (14-3), and blocks (10-3). UTEP registered a .283 hitting percentage and held NM State to a .134 H%.  

RECORD BOOK NOTES  

• Kaya Weaver's .647 hitting percentage tied for fourth-best in program history for a four-set match.  
• Kalia Kohler’s six aces also tied for 11th all-time, while the Miners’ collective 14 team service aces tied for third.  
• The win completed UTEP’s regular season sweep over NM State for the first time since 2021, marking another historic milestone in the Battle of I-10 rivalry.

CAREER/SEASON-HIGHS 

• Landry Braziel delivered a season-high 5 kills. 
• Kalia Kohler set two career-highs with 3 kills and 6 aces.  
• Kohler’s powerful serving contributed to UTEP’s season-high 14 aces.

FUN FACT ABOUT ALYSSA’S MILESTONE
Alyssa Sianez broke the UTEP all-time dig record that had been held for eight years by Sarah Villa, who competed from 2013-16. Villa set the previous record in a match against NM State on November 23, 2016, at Memorial Gym. Fittingly, Sianez surpassed that milestone in tonight’s match, also against NM State at Memorial Gym, cementing her place in UTEP Volleyball history.

SET-BY-SET      
ONE | UTEP came out strong in the opening set against NMSU courtesy of a kill by Kaya Weaver followed by an ace from Kalia Kohler to give the Miners a 3-0 lead. The Miners continued to dominate with blocks from Torrance Lovesee and Danika Washington, and Ema Uskokovic delivered multiple kills to push the score to 9-4. UTEP kept the pressure on with a series of aces by Kohler and a block from Weaver to make it 18-8. Kills from Landry Braziel and Kohler, plus a final ace by Madison Hill, sealed a commanding 25-11 win for the Miners.

TWO | UTEP maintained momentum in the second set, starting with a kill by Weaver and a NMSU error. Kohler's kill and Weaver's ace pushed the lead to 4-1. The Miners’ defense, led by Washington and Uskokovic, shut down NMSU’s attack with blocks to extend the score to 7-2. Kohler's powerful serving, including back-to-back aces, increased the advantage to 13-6. Although NMSU tried to rally, UTEP continued to respond with kills by Lovesee and Uskokovic, eventually taking the set 25-16 after consecutive kills by Lauren Perry. 

THREE | NMSU fought back in the third set. Both teams exchanged points until a block by Lovesee leveled the score at 6-6. However, NMSU surged ahead, forcing UTEP to call a timeout at 6-10. The Miners responded with a kill by Washington and an ace from Alyssa Sianez, closing the gap to 10-11. Despite efforts from Weaver and Braziel, NMSU managed to maintain its lead, eventually winning the set 25-21, cutting UTEP's match lead to 2-1.

FOUR | The Miners regrouped in the fourth set, starting with a NMSU error and a kill from Sara Pustahija to take a 2-0 lead. An ace from Lovesee followed by a kill from Washington extended UTEP’s advantage to 8-5. The Miners continued to capitalize on NMSU’s errors, and with an ace from Uskokovic, they led 9-6. UTEP took control after the NMSU timeout, with Kohler's ace and Weaver's kills pushing the score to 19-10. Washington and Weaver added the final blows, as UTEP closed out the set 25-17, securing a 3-1 match victory over the Aggies.

"We did a lot of things right today, and for Alyssa to break the all-time dig record against the Aggies makes it even more special,” Wallis said. “It was really cool talking with Sarah Villa this week. I asked her to be here to give the game ball to Alyssa, knowing she was the previous record-holder. Sarah told me when I called her that she also broke the record against NMSU, which gave me chills. So for Alyssa to do that here against NMSU is a big deal. I didn’t want her to break it on the road, so it worked out perfectly. We played poorly in the third set, but it gave us one more chance to celebrate her, which is really cool. Our team loves her, and they celebrate her every day. We’re all very proud of her, and no one will cheer harder for Alyssa Sianez, other than this crowd, than our team.” 

UP NEXT           
The Miners hit the road for Ruston, La, as they take on Louisiana Tech on October 12-13.