UTEP volleyball drops hard-fought five-set match to Air Force

EL PASO, Texas -- UTEP Volleyball dropped a hard-fought five-set match to Air Force, 3-2 (18-25, 25-23, 22-25, 28-26, 15-7), on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gym. The Miners moved to 13-9 overall and 5-5 in Conference USA play, while the Falcons improved to 8-13 overall and 4-6 in Mountain West action.

UTEP controlled the opening set from the outset, turning a 7-7 tie into a commanding advantage behind a balanced offensive attack and strong play at the net. The Miners hit .469 in the frame, with kills from Ema Uskokovic, Landry Braziel and Luvina Oguntimehin helping fuel the 25-18 set victory.

The Falcons answered in the second set. UTEP built an early 5-1 lead and later held a 23-21 advantage, but Air Force closed the set on a 4-0 run to even the match. Braziel continued to produce offensively, while Uskokovic added key points as the teams traded momentum throughout the stanza before the Falcons secured the 25-23 win.

The Miners regained control in the third set, using a mid-set surge to build a 22-16 cushion. Uskokovic paced the offense during the run, while Oguntimehin and Mackenzi Davis contributed crucial kills as UTEP withstood a late Air Force rally. The Miners hit .387 in the set and claimed a 25-22 victory to move within one set of the match win.

Set four proved to be the turning point of the afternoon. Neither side led by more than three points in a back-and-forth battle that featured 20 ties. UTEP fought off multiple Air Force pushes and eventually tied the score at 26-26, but the Falcons scored the final two points to escape with a 28-26 win and force a decisive fifth set.

Air Force carried that momentum into the fifth set, using an 8-2 run after a 5-5 tie to create separation. UTEP was unable to slow the Falcons' attack as Air Force closed out the match with a 15-7 victory.

Uskokovic recorded a career-high 22 kills to lead the Miners, while Braziel added a career-best 13 kills. Davis chipped in 14 kills and Oguntimehin contributed 12 as UTEP finished with 73 kills on the afternoon.

UTEP will hit the road next weekend for a two-match series at San José State on Oct. 29 and 30. Both matches will be streamed on MW+.