UTEP Volleyball Set to Host 2024 Conference USA Championship, Faces Liberty in Quarterfinals

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The UTEP volleyball team (26-4, 16-2 Conference USA) will host the 2024 Conference USA Volleyball Championship this weekend, November 22-24, at Club Memorial. As the No. 2 seed, the Miners will take on No. 7 seed Liberty in the quarterfinals on Friday, November 22, at 5 p.m. MST. 

TICKETS  
Tickets can be purchased through the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office by calling (915) 747-UTEP, emailing tickets@utep.edu, visiting www.UTEPMiners.com/Tickets or in person at 201 Glory Road (Brumbelow Building, UTEP campus) Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

SCHEDULE      

DATE	TIME	MATCHUP	WATCH	STATS	ROUND
Fri. Nov. 22	5pm	UTEP vs. Liberty	ESPN+	Live Stats	Quarterfinals

^All Times Mountain Standard    

HITTING WITH CONSISTENCY              
UTEP's offense is firing on all cylinders, hitting .290 overall, with two Miners exceeding or matching that mark. Kaya Weaver leads the team, boasting a .434 hitting percentage among players with at least 170 kills. The Miners' efficiency ranks 13th nationally. UTEP reached a season-high .481 in a 3-0 sweep against Kennesaw State on Nov. 15 and has hit over .300 in 16 matches this season.      

BLOCK PARTY             
UTEP's defense has been dominant at the net, registering a season-high 16 blocks in a 3-0 sweep against Utah State on Sept. 1. The Miners have reached double-digit blocks in 16 matches this season, with Kaya Weaver leading the team with 143.0 blocks. Nationally, UTEP ranks 10th in team total blocks (287.5) and 11th in blocks/set (2.79) while leading CUSA.     

BALANCED ATTACK              
UTEP showed a balanced attack against Liberty, with three Miners blasting home at least 2.0 kills per set. Among players with at least 15 kills over the weekend, Ema Uskokovic (26 kills, 3.71/set) led the way with Sara Pustahija and Kaya Weaver getting after it as well.        

CUSA POSTSEASON AWARDS 
UTEP Volleyball earned a program-best eight Conference USA postseason awards, including Kaya Weaver being named CUSA Defensive Player of the Year—UTEP’s first-ever CUSA superlative honoree. The Miners placed two players on the All-CUSA First Team, three on the Second Team, and two on the All-Freshman Team. 
Highlights: 

• Kaya Weaver (MB): Defensive Player of the Year, All-CUSA First Team. Led CUSA in hitting percentage (.431, 8th NCAA) and blocks (143, 10th NCAA). UTEP's first-ever CUSA Defensive POY. 
• Ema Uskokovic (OH): All-CUSA First Team. Team leader in kills (323), aces (44), and points (416.5). 
• Kalia Kohler (S): All-CUSA Second Team. Directed UTEP’s offense with 588 assists and 16 20+ assist matches. 
• Torrance Lovesee (OH): All-CUSA Second Team. Second on the team in kills (253), aces (42), and digs (217). 
• Danika Washington (MB): All-CUSA Second Team. Key senior with a .385 hitting percentage and 97 blocks. 
• Landry Braziel (OH): All-Freshman Team. Twice named CUSA Freshman of the Week. 
• Lauren Perry (OH): All-Freshman Team. Contributed 121 kills and 30 blocks in her debut season. 

This marks UTEP's third consecutive season with multiple honorees on the First and Second Teams, highlighting the program's consistent growth and success. 

MINER RANKINGS             
Nationally, UTEP is ranked in the top 50 in eight categories while leading CUSA:              
2. Aces/Set (2.32)* 
3. Team Service Aces (239)* 
10. Team Total Blocks (287.5)* 
11. Blocks/Set (2.79)*  
11. Match W-L Percentage (0.867)* 
13. Hitting Percentage (0.289) 
21. Opponent Hitting Percentage (0.162)* 
28. Kills/Set (13.79)* 
46. Assists/Set (12.60)* 
46. Team Kills (1420) 
63. Tea Assists (1298) 
*CUSA Leader             

UTEP has five players ranked in the Top 100 in NCAA.     

STATISTICS	PLAYER	NCAA/CUSA RANKS	VALUE
Aces/Set  Blocks/Set  Hitting % Points  Service Aces Total Blocks	Uskokovic  Lovesee  Kohler  Weaver  Weaver  Washington  Uskokovic  Uskokovic  Lovesee  Kohler  Weaver	62/2  72/3  81/4  17/2  8/1  41/2  100/6  38/2  60/4  75/6  11/3	0.43 sa/s  0.42 sa/s  0.41sa/s  1.40 bk/s  0.431 H%  0.376 H%  416.5 PTS  44 SA  42 SA  41 SA  143 TB

IF YOU AIN'T FIRST, YOU'RE LAST     
On October 19, UTEP Volleyball dominated Jax State via sweep and with this impressive win, UTEP became the first Division 1 team in the NCAA to reach 20 victories this season.    

PACKED HOUSE     
UTEP Volleyball has seen a surge in fan support over the past two seasons, with record-breaking attendance figures highlighting the team's growing popularity. In 2023, the Miners set a program record for regular-season attendance, drawing 1,803 fans for a match against Liberty. This season, they shattered that mark three times, most recently packing 2,315 fans into Memorial Gym for an electric showdown against NM State on October 9. While the overall program attendance record stands at 3,271, set during last season's sellout NIVC Championship run, which included three consecutive sellout matches in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final game, the Miners are eager to continue building on this momentum.    

MAKING HISTORY       
On October 9, during UTEP's 3-1 win over NM State, Alyssa Sianez made history by breaking the all-time program record for career digs. With her outstanding performance, she surpassed the previous record of 1,369 digs, which had been held by Sarah Villa (2013-16) for eight years. Sianez's achievement marks a significant milestone in the program's history and solidifies her legacy as one of its all-time greats.      

MINING NEW HEIGHTS      
UTEP's 26-4 overall record is the best in program history through 30 games. This marks only the seventh time in school history the Miners have achieved at least 26 wins in a season, with previous milestones achieved in 1988 (26-14), 1984 (28-14), and 1982 (30-18). 

WIN STREAK RECORD    
After the sweep at Jax State (Oct. 18-19), UTEP won 13 straight contests. That breaks the prior school standard (nine; 1996, 1982) for most victories in a row during a single season. The overall program record for consecutive contests won is 14, which spanned from Nov. 6, 1987, to Sept. 17, 1988.     

HOME SWEET HOME COURT     
Before dropping two to WKU, the Miners had won 20 straight regular-season matches at Club Memorial. UTEP is 28-3 at home dating back to the start of the 2023 season, including a stellar 14-1 record last year, with the lone loss coming to Wichita State (L, 0-3) in the NIVC Championship on Dec. 12. The Miners will aim to continue their home success this weekend as they host the 2024 Conference USA Championships from Nov. 22-24 in the Sun City.   

AWARD-WINNING MINERS     
The Miners have been honored by the league office with at least one of the weekly awards (including freshman of the week) in eight of the 11 weeks of the season. UTEP secured four setters (co) of the week (Mattie Gantt and Kalia Kohler, Sept. 23, Sept. 16, Sept. 9, Nov. 11), a pair of offensive players of the week (Ema Uskokovic, Oct. 7, Kaya Weaver, Sept. 9), two defensive players of the week (Weaver, Oct. 7, Sept. 2) and two freshman of the week (Landry Braziel, Oct. 14, Nov. 4).  The four co-setters of the week are already the most in a single season for the position in program history. Making it more impressive is that Gantt and Kohler reeled in the honor for three straight weeks. The 14 overall weekly awards (including freshman of the week) already break the prior school standard (10; 2023, 2022).     

CLEAN SWEEP CREW      
Of UTEP's 26 wins this season, 18 have been three-set sweeps. This matches the program's single-season record for sweeps, last achieved in 1988 when the Miners recorded 18 sweeps during a 26-15 campaign. 

ANOTHER 20-WIN SEASON      
On October 19 versus Jax State, UTEP secured its third 20-win season in the past four years, a level of success not seen in El Paso since the Miners recorded at least 20 victories in seven of eight years from 1982-88. Prior to head coach Ben Wallis' arrival in the Sun City, UTEP had registered just one 20-win campaign (21-10, 2005) in the previous 29 seasons.   

DOUBLE-DIGIT CONFERENCE WINS      
On October 19 versus Jax State, the Miners achieved their third consecutive campaign with double-digit victories in league play. Prior to this stretch, UTEP had recorded just three total seasons with at least 10 conference wins (2012, 2005, 1996) since the program's inception in 1974. 

SWEET 16 
The Liberty series (Nov. 8-9) was a milestone moment for UTEP Volleyball. In the opening match, the Miners tied the program record for most conference wins in a season (13). They followed it up with another victory over the Flames, setting a new record with 14 conference wins. After sweeping Kennesaw State (Nov. 15-16), UTEP has raised the bar even higher, establishing a new program standard with 16 conference wins in a single season. 

THE OPPONENT              
Liberty 

Series: UTEP holds a 5-0 all-time series lead over Liberty, with the two teams' first meeting in 2023. The Miners hosted the Lady Flames during the final week of the regular season, winning both matches with scores of 3-1 and 3-0. A few days later, the teams squared off again in the quarterfinals of the 2023 CUSA Championship Tournament, which Liberty hosted. UTEP won 3-1 to complete a clean sweep of the series. This season, the Miners continued their dominance, taking the series with a 3-1 and 3-0 victory. For the second straight year, UTEP will face Liberty in the quarterfinals of the CUSA Championship Tournament. 

No. 7 seeded Liberty enters the weekend at 13-17 (7-11 CUSA). 

Last Two: Liberty concluded its regular season with back-to-back losses against Western Kentucky in Bowling Green, Ky. WKU swept the Lady Flames 3-0 on Thursday and secured a hard-fought 3-1 victory on Friday, finishing the season unbeaten in conference play (18-0) and extending its CUSA regular-season winning streak to 92 matches. Liberty placed seventh in the standings, ending the season on a four-match skid. 

Team Ranks: Liberty ranks 21st nationally and third in Conference USA in total team blocks, while also standing 68th nationally and third in the conference in blocks per set. 

All-CUSA: Liberty seniors Kate Gammer and Madison Blane earned All-Conference USA honors, with Gammer named to the First Team and Blane to the Second Team. This marks Gammer's second straight all-conference selection, after being named to the Second Team in 2023, while Blane collects her third career award.  

Player Ranks: Gammer, ranked fifth in CUSA for kills per set (3.65 overall, 3.97 in conference), has tallied 405 kills this season, the most by a Lady Flame since 2019. Blane leads CUSA with 1.43 blocks per set in conference play, ranking sixth nationally with 152 total blocks.