Miners Ground the Owls to Close Regular Season 

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- UTEP Volleyball rallied from an early deficit to defeat Kennesaw State 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-10) on Saturday afternoon at Club Memorial, wrapping up the regular season on a high note. The Senior Day victory secured the Miners the #2 seed in the upcoming Conference USA Tournament. 

UTEP improves to 26-4 (16-2 Conference USA) while Kennesaw State drops to 13-16 (10-8 CUSA).    

MATCH SUMMARY            
After a narrow 25-23 loss in the opening set, the Miners surged back with a 25-20 victory in the second set, powered by a balanced offensive attack and strong blocking. The third set was a nail-biter, with UTEP edging out KSU 26-24, thanks to timely kills and service pressure. The Miners dominated the fourth set, closing it out 25-10, capitalizing on opponent errors and a chaotic sequence that included a yellow and red card against the opposing coach. 

LEADERBOARD               

• Three Miners reached double-digit kills, with Ema Uskokovic leading the way at 15 kills, followed by Kaya Weaver and Sara Pustahija with 10 kills each; Weaver also posted an impressive .500 hitting percentage.  
• The setting duo of Kalia Kohler and Mattie Gantt combined for 43 assists, fueling the Miners' offense.  
• At the net, Danika Washington and Kaya Weaver were a force, each tallying 5 blocks.  
• Uskokovic capped off her strong performance with a match-high 18.5 points.

SPLIT BOX               
UTEP held the all-around statistical advantage in kills (52-49), service aces (7-2), and blocks (10-8). UTEP registered a .279 hitting percentage and held Kennesaw State to a .205 H%.      

SET-BY-SET           
ONE | The opening set was a tightly contested battle, but KSU managed to edge out UTEP 25-23. Ema Uskokovic, Kaya Weaver, and Sara Pustahija led the offensive charge for the Miners. Weaver's kill early in the set kept the Miners close, followed by her ace to bring UTEP within one at 14-13. Uskokovic and Washington made key kills to keep UTEP competitive, and a late surge by Uskokovic and Pustahija brought the score to 24-23, but KSU secured the final point to take the first set.

TWO | UTEP came out firing in the second set to even the match with a dominant 25-20 win. The Miners quickly jumped to a 3-0 lead behind kills from Torrance Lovesee and Landry Braziel, along with a big block from Braziel and Weaver. The Miners' blocking unit, featuring Washington and Pustahija, shut down KSU's attack, while Uskokovic's ace extended the lead to 13-11. UTEP's offense continued to thrive with contributions from Weaver, Braziel, and Pustahija, and Uskokovic sealed the set with a powerful kill to end it at 25-20.

THREE | The Miners carried their momentum into the third set, pulling off a thrilling 26-24 victory to take a 2-1 match lead. Weaver's early kill set the tone, followed by an ace that gave UTEP a 5-2 advantage. The Miner defense came up big, with blocks by Washington, Braziel, and Pustahija. A kill by Lovesee tied the score at 17-17, and Uskokovic's late ace brought UTEP to set point at 24-25. Uskokovic clinched the set with another kill, capping off an intense comeback to secure the lead for the Miners.

FOUR | UTEP dominated the fourth set with a commanding 25-10 win, clinching the match 3-1. The Miners quickly established control, thanks to Pustahija’s and Weaver’s kills. A chaotic moment ensued when KSU's head coach received a yellow card, followed by a red card, awarding UTEP a point and fueling their momentum. The Miners' defense was impenetrable, with Braziel and Washington leading the blocking efforts. Uskokovic's late flurry of kills, combined with Gantt's ace, sealed the set and the match for UTEP.

Quote from Head Coach Ben Wallis: 
"It was frustrating watching us run around without digging or blocking effectively for two and a half sets. Kennesaw State is a really good team—they had 18 kills in the first set alone. Just because we played really well yesterday doesn’t mean they were going to roll over today; they have pride and wanted to win. It took us a couple of sets to figure them out, but we got better as the match went on. I’m proud of the way we executed at the end of the third set and sent our seniors off with a win on Senior Day. The fourth set was clean, physical volleyball, and it was good to see us get back to blocking the way we wanted to. We needed a tough match like this to prepare us for what’s coming next week." 

UP NEXT                
Up next for UTEP is the Conference USA Championship Tournament, held at Memorial Gym in El Paso, Texas, from Nov. 22-24, where the #2 seed Miners will face #7 Liberty in the quarterfinals on Nov. 22 at 5 p.m. MT.