UTEP Volleyball Makes History with First-Ever NCAA Tournament At-Large Bid
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee announced the 64-team field for the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship on Sunday evening. Thirty-one conferences earned automatic qualifications, while the remaining 33 positions were filled with at-large selections to complete the bracket. Among those at-large selections is UTEP (27-5), earning the first NCAA Tournament bid in program history.
UTEP is one of two Conference USA schools to punch their ticket to the Big Dance, joining regular season and tournament champion WKU. Additionally, the Miners are one of only two programs in this year’s field making their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, alongside Chicago State.
The Miners will take on Oklahoma in the first round of the tournament in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the nation’s No. 1 overall seed, Pitt, serving as the host. The matchup is set for Friday, December 6, at 2 pm MST/4 pm ET.
It will mark the fourth all-time matchup between the Miners and the Sooners, who posted a 14-10 record during the regular season (8-8 SEC/sixth place). The series history includes UTEP's forfeit victory in the 1979 season opener, along with Oklahoma’s 3-0 wins in the 2015 Borderland Invitational and the 2016 Oklahoma Invitational.
"This is a momentous day for UTEP Volleyball," said head coach Ben Wallis. "This at-large bid is not just a testament to the hard work and talent of our players but also to the support from our fans, administration, and the entire El Paso community. It’s also for many of our former players like Alianza Darley, Serena Patterson, Kristen Fritsche, Paulina Perez, Kenidy Howard, among many others, who put in a lot of time and energy building this program and never got to see the fruits of their labors. This will hopefully give them a big smile. We’re excited for the opportunity to represent UTEP on the national stage and compete against the best teams in the country."
UTEP’s 2024 campaign has been nothing short of remarkable. The Miners have posted a 27-5 overall record, highlighted by historic performances, including becoming the fastest team in NCAA Division I to reach 20 wins this season and achieving a program-best 38 RPI ranking. Their balanced attack, fierce defense, and exceptional serving have been the cornerstones of their success.
Tournament Format
First- and second-round matches will be played December 5-7 at 16 campus sites. Teams winning both matches will continue to regional play December 12-15. Regionals for the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship will be held at four non-predetermined campus sites, which will be announced on December 8. At each site, four teams will compete in single-elimination regional semifinal competition.
The regional winners will advance to the national semifinals and championship final hosted by the University of Louisville, in conjunction with the Louisville Sports Commission, December 19 and 22 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville. The national semifinal matches will broadcast on ESPN starting at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the championship match will be broadcast on ABC at 3 p.m. ET. All preliminary site match times can be found on the attached championship bracket or online at www.ncaa.com/volleyball.
