UTEP volleyball falls to Tulsa in five-set season opener
LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- The UTEP volleyball team opened its 2026 season with a battle against the reigning American Athletic Conference champions, but the Miners couldn't close it out.
UTEP fell to Tulsa 3-2 Saturday afternoon at the Pan American Center after taking a 2-1 lead through three sets.
The Miners opened the match by narrowly dropping the first set, 26-24, before responding with back-to-back 25-18 victories to take control of the match.
Tulsa answered in the fourth set, pulling away late for a 25-20 win before dominating the decisive fifth set, 15-7, to secure the season-opening victory.
The five-set match was UTEP's first since the 2024 season, when the Miners faced Oklahoma in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Despite the loss, UTEP showed plenty of offensive firepower against one of the nation's top teams.
Three Miners finished with double-digit kills, led by Oguntimehin with 15, followed by Perry with 14 and Mackenzi Davis with 12.
Oguntimehin also led all players with a .458 hitting percentage and finished with a team-high 16.5 points.
At the net, UTEP finished with 11 total blocks compared to Tulsa's seven, with Crowe leading the Miners with eight blocks, including two solo blocks.
Kalia Kohler and Shea Bruntmyer combined for 47 assists, while Bruntmyer and Perry each recorded two service aces.
Defensively, Lily-Rose Pichon and Perry each recorded 16 digs, while Kohler added 10.
As a team, UTEP held the advantage in kills, 61-58, and blocks, 11-7. The Miners also finished with a .233 hitting percentage, compared to Tulsa's .173.
The match also marked the UTEP debuts of six players. Junior setter Shea Bruntmyer, senior libero Lily-Rose Pichon, sophomore outside hitter Mackenzi Davis, freshman libero Bella Widmer, freshman setter Caryme Molina and freshman outside hitter Laila Amos all saw their first action in a UTEP uniform, with four making their collegiate debuts.
Head coach Ben Wallis said the match showed him the Miners have the pieces to compete, but Tulsa's experience ultimately made the difference.
“I learned that we have a lot of weapons,” Wallis said. “We're physical and dangerous at times, and we have the components of being a good team.”
Wallis said Tulsa responded after UTEP controlled the second and third sets.
“Unfortunately, Tulsa is a conference champion for a reason,” Wallis said. “They responded to us pushing them around in the second and third sets by playing more physically and doing some tactical things that slowed us down.”
The loss drops UTEP to 0-1 on the season and 27-26 all-time in season openers. The Miners are now 4-4 in season openers during the Wallis era.
UTEP won't have to wait long for another opportunity.
The Miners return to Club Memorial on Sunday, Aug. 30, at 6 p.m. for a sold-out matchup against I-10 rival New Mexico State.
The match will be streamed live on MW+.
