UTEP Volleyball Dominates Green Bay in Straight Sets
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KVIA) -- The UTEP Volleyball team (1-1) showcased their dominance in a commanding 3-0 sweep over Green Bay, exploding out of the gates in each set. Led by Ema Uskokovic’s 13-point performance and a fierce defensive effort that included 11 team blocks, the Miners cruised to victory on day two of the Utah Classic Saturday afternoon.
Ema Uskokovic led the Miners' offensive charge with 11 kills while hitting an impressive .346. The dynamic setting duo of Kalia Kohler and Mattie Gantt combined for 29 assists. Kohler also delivered five aces. On the defensive end, Alyssa Sianez anchored the backcourt with 13 digs, while Kaya Weaver dominated at the net, stuffing six blocks.
UTEP held the all-around statistical advantage in kills (40-29), hitting percentage (.333 - .124), aces (8-1), and blocks (11-1).
The Miners produced 59 of their 75 points with contributions from 11 different players, including double-digit performances from Ema Uskokovic (13 points) and Torrance Lovesee (10 points).
SET ONE | The Miners exploded right out of the gate, surging to a commanding 9-1 lead to start the match. Green Bay, struggling to find their rhythm, used both timeouts to ice the red-hot Orange and Blue before UTEP reached 15 points. Though the Phoenix managed a brief 3-0 burst before the Miners hit 20, it was UTEP's Serbian duo who sealed the deal in the opening set. A 4-0 scoring run, featuring two blocks and a kill by Ema Uskokovic and a solo block by Sara Pustahija, put UTEP on the board first with a dominant 25-11 win. Notably, eight of UTEP's 11 blocks in the match came during this opening set.
SET TWO | The Phoenix kept the second set close, resulting in a thrilling back-and-forth battle that saw 13 tied scores and four lead changes. UTEP led 15-12 going into the media timeout, but Green Bay responded with a 5-1 run, taking a 17-16 lead and forcing the Miners to call a timeout. Coming out of the break, UTEP regained control, and though Green Bay tied the score twice, the Miners' determination prevailed. A series of four kills and an ace secured a 25-21 win, putting UTEP up 2-0 in the match.
SET THREE | UTEP once again had an explosive start in the third set, racing to an 8-0 lead as Kalia Kohler fired off four aces. The Miners extended their advantage to nine points, leading 13-4, as Green Bay burned their second timeout of the set. Although the Phoenix managed to cut the deficit to five on several occasions, UTEP remained steadfast in their pursuit of a sweep. Torrance Lovesee and Luvina Oguntimehin each added a kill to close out the set with a 25-18 victory, securing the Miners' 3-0 win.
"After a disappointing loss last night to Utah, I challenged my team, and they responded incredibly well today,” head coach Ben Wallis said. “They competed fiercely from the serving standpoint, getting back to a level where we could control the game from the service line, which is our goal. We didn't have that effort last night, but today we returned to our identity, leading to what was likely a school record of 8 blocks in the first set. With 11 blocks over three sets, our defensive performance was impressive. I was proud of the team's offensive execution against Green Bay, a team that gave the Mountain West champions a tough match yesterday. We knew they were formidable, but we managed to take key elements away from them, and the team executed our game plan well in extended stretches, which led to the sweep."
UP NEXT
UTEP will wrap up the Utah Classic on Sunday, Sep. 1 as the Miners go up against Utah State at 10am MDT.
