No Bark, Just Bite: UTEP Sweeps Bulldogs 

RUSTON, Louisiana (KVIA) -- UTEP Volleyball delivered a commanding performance against Louisiana Tech, sweeping the Bulldogs 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-14) Saturday afternoon at the Thomas Assembly Center. UTEP registered a season-high .402 hitting percentage and a remarkable 17 aces, while Kalia Kohler achieved her 1,000th career assist. 

UTEP improves to 17-2 (7-0 Conference USA) while LA Tech drops to 6-14 (0-7 CUSA).  

MATCH SUMMARY       
UTEP started off strong in the first set, with Ema Uskokovic and Kaya Weaver leading the charge to an impressive 25-11 victory. The Miners maintained their momentum in the second set, capitalizing on key plays and aces to secure a 25-15 win. In the final set, strong kills from Uskokovic and back-to-back aces from Mattie Gantt and Madison Hill sealed the match at 25-14. The Miners' remarkable 17 aces tied for second in program history for a 3-set match. 

LEADERBOARD

• Ema Uskokovic led the charge for UTEP with an impressive 10 kills, hitting .391 and contributing a match-high 14 points, while also adding 8 digs.  
• Mattie Gantt and Kalia Kohler directed the UTEP offense with a combined 30 assists, helping the team achieve an impressive .402 hitting percentage.  
• Uskokovic and Torrance Lovesee each recorded 3 aces.  
• Defensively, Danika Washington anchored the team with 3 blocks.

SPLIT BOX          
UTEP held the all-around statistical advantage in kills (45-21), service aces (17-1), and blocks (6-4). UTEP registered a .402 hitting percentage and held LA tech to a .143 H%.  

SET-BY-SET       
ONE | UTEP started strong in the first set against Louisiana Tech. Momentum built with consecutive kills by Uskokovic and Weaver, followed by a block from Weaver and Braziel that pushed the lead to 3-1. UTEP continued to dominate, with standout plays from Washington, Perry, and Uskokovic. After an 8-3 lead, Louisiana Tech called a timeout, but UTEP remained relentless, extending the lead with kills from Lovesee and Uskokovic, and an ace by Uskokovic. Despite a few points from LAT, UTEP surged forward with another ace by Lovesee, and back-to-back aces from Loera. A final kill from Weaver secured the set for UTEP, 25-11, giving the Miners a 1-0 lead in the match. 

TWO | UTEP kept rolling in the second set against LA Tech. Braziel, Weaver, and Uskokovic added to the attack, while Lovesee and Weaver fired aces to take a 6-2 lead. Oguntimehin stepped up with several key kills, and back-to-back aces by Kohler extended UTEP’s lead to 13-8. LAT called a timeout, but UTEP’s offense continued, with Braziel, Crowe, and Uskokovic adding crucial points. After a final LAT timeout, Weaver and Perry secured the set with kills, ending it at 25-15. UTEP took a commanding 2-0 lead in the match. 

THREE | UTEP sealed the sweep in the third set against Louisiana Tech, starting strong with kills from Uskokovic and blocks from Crowe and Braziel. Washington’s ace pushed UTEP ahead 4-1, and Uskokovic continued to dominate, adding multiple kills and an ace to extend the lead. After a LAT timeout, Gantt delivered back-to-back aces, followed by Perry and Uskokovic contributing key kills. UTEP’s defense stayed solid with blocks from Washington and Lovesee. A critical challenge won by UTEP reversed a service error call, crediting Hill with an ace to push the score to 23-14. Hill finished the set with another ace, securing the 25-14 win and a 3-0 sweep for UTEP. 

NOTABLES

• UTEP achieved a season-high .402 hitting percentage and a team season-high 17 aces. 
• Kalia Kohler reached a significant milestone with her 1,000th career assist.  
• The entire travel roster saw playing time, with many players setting season and career highs and achieving personal firsts.
  • Freshman Landry Braziel recorded a season-high 6 kills, while fellow freshman Hannah Crowe and Luvina Oguntimehin each contributed a season-high 4 kills.  
  • Ava Martindale achieved a career-high 6 digs 
  • Alexis Massey notched a career-high 5 assists.  
  • Danika Washington celebrated her first career service ace. 
  • Freshman Lauren Perry impressively recorded a season-high .833 hitting percentage along with her first career service ace. 

"We got everyone some playing time, and they were all clean and competitive,” head coach Ben Wallis said. “It was great to give everyone a chance to be competitive while maintaining efficiency and cleanliness throughout the game. Watching Madi Hill’s jumper was a highlight; she was really wrecking it at the service line, which was fun to see. As a team, we served exceptionally well, coming up with 17 aces against a team that has been passing over .200 this season, and that's pretty dang cool. I’m particularly proud of Landry Braziel for stepping up, playing three sets, and achieving 6 kills on 12 swings with no errors—that was awesome. Overall, I’m proud of our group." 

UP NEXT           
The Miners face the Bulldogs again on Sunday, October 13, at 11am MDT in Ruston, La.