UTEP Volleyball Sweeps Oral Roberts, Braziel Sets School Record in Sun City Classic Finale
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- UTEP Volleyball swept Oral Roberts, 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-16), Saturday afternoon to close out the Sun City Classic at Club Memorial. The Miners (8-1) rode a record-setting performance from Landry Braziel, who hit .846 with 11 kills on 13 error-free swings. The Golden Eagles dropped to 0-8 on the season.
Braziel’s .846 hitting percentage established a program record for a three-set match with a minimum of 10 kills, surpassing the previous mark of .824 held by Christie Murphy (2007) and Megan Brock (2002).
ALL-TOURNAMENT
UTEP landed three selections on the Sun City Classic All-Tournament Team, with Landry Braziel, Danika Washington, and Sara Pustahija earning recognition. UCLA also placed three on the team, highlighted by Cheridyn Leverette, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
MATCH SUMMARY
The Miners controlled the opener with an early run and never looked back in a 25-12 win. After overcoming a slow start in set two, UTEP surged ahead with strong blocking and efficient offense to take it 25-17. The Miners then built another quick lead in the third and sealed the sweep 25-16 behind steady pressure on both sides of the ball.
LEADERBOARD
- UTEP was led by a record-setting performance from Landry Braziel, who posted 11 kills on 13 error-free swings for a blistering .846 hitting percentage, while also adding five blocks and a match-high 14.0 points.
- The Miners’ offense was paced by setters Alexis Massey and Kalia Kohler, who combined for 26 assists and directed the team to a .459 hitting percentage.
- At the service line, Ella Meador delivered three aces to lead all players, while on defense, libero Fuka Sekita anchored the back row with 10 digs.
- At the net, Braziel and Luvina Oguntimehin each tallied five blocks to share match-high honors.
Braziel stood alone as the only player on either side to reach double figures in both kills and points, while also producing the highest hitting percentage of the match. Massey finished with the most assists, Meador had the most aces, Sekita led in digs, and Braziel and Oguntimehin tied for the lead in blocks.
SPLIT BOX
UTEP’s offense clicked at a .459 hitting percentage while holding ORU to just .013. The Miners controlled every statistical category: kills (40-21), assists (39-20), aces (8-6), digs (35-25), and blocks (12-1).
SET-BY-SET
ONE | UTEP came out firing in the opening frame, storming ahead 10-2 behind a balanced attack featuring kills from Kaya Weaver, Landry Braziel, and contributions at the net by Danika Washington. The Miners’ defense frustrated Oral Roberts, who committed multiple attack and service errors to extend the gap. With Ella Meador serving tough late in the set—delivering back-to-back aces to close it out—UTEP never looked back, cruising to a dominant 25-12 win.
TWO | Oral Roberts flipped the momentum early in the second set, jumping ahead 5-1 before the Miners regrouped. Sparked by a series of kills from Sara Pustahija and Washington, UTEP erased the deficit and went on a 12-3 run to seize control. Braziel made her presence felt both offensively and defensively, racking up kills and blocks, while the Miners’ front row combined for seven blocks in the set. UTEP’s balance proved too much as the Miners closed on a strong defensive stretch, sealing the 25-17 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
THREE | The Miners opened the third frame with precision, forcing early ORU errors and building a 10-2 cushion after kills from Braziel, Pustahija, and Torrance Lovesee. Oral Roberts briefly steadied, trimming the margin to four, but UTEP quickly regained control behind service aces from Kalia Kohler and steady kills across the front line. Braziel continued to dominate with timely swings and blocks, while Lovesee and Washington hammered home late points. Blocks by Pustahija and Hannah Crowe capped the sweep as UTEP closed the set 25-16.
FROM COACH WALLIS
Head coach Ben Wallis praised his team’s ability to adjust despite being short on bodies, noting their efficiency and focus throughout the weekend. “We’ve had to manage some unusual injury situations, but this group tightened up, supported each other, and went out to compete,” head coach Ben Wallis said. “To hit nearly .460 with 12 blocks and eight aces in three sets is a really efficient way to finish. After being frustrated by Thursday’s loss, our veteran team responded the right way on Friday and Saturday. Now it’s about recovery and shifting our attention to Arizona, where we’ll have plenty of Miner fans ready to support us.”
UP NEXT
UTEP has a quick turnaround with three road contests this week to wrap up non-conference play. The Miners travel to Tucson to face Arizona on Tuesday, Sept. 16, before heading to Nacogdoches, Texas, for the SFA Tournament. There, they will face nationally-ranked SMU on Friday, Sept. 19, and take on Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, Sept. 20.
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