UTEP volleyball to host Louisiana Tech this weekend

(Courtesy: UTEP Athletics)

EL PASO, Texas - UTEP Volleyball (15-6, 7-3 Conference USA) will host a pair of matches against LA Tech, Oct. 20-21, in Memorial Gym. Friday's match is set for a 6 p.m. first serve, while Saturday's contest is slated for a matinee beginning at noon.  

 TICKETS     

For the matches in Memorial Gym, tickets start at $8 and 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. Season tickets are also still on sale. Group tickets are also available for $5 (minimum of 10 tickets).     

 SCHEDULE            

Friday, Oct. 20 
Match 22 vs. LA Tech – 6pm | Stream: ESPN+ | Live Stats | Promo: Miner Kids Club Day 

Saturday, Oct. 21 
Match 23 vs. LA Tech – 12pm| Stream: ESPN+ | Live Stats | Promo: Miner Kids Club Day, Kids Clinic 
^All Times Mountain       

The Miners will be hosting a post-game clinic for 6th grade and below on Saturday, Oct. 21. For those interested in the clinic, register here. 

 HITTING WITH CONSISTENCY     

UTEP is hitting .274 paced by seven Miners who are killing it at or above the mark. Kaya Weaver (.430) leads the team among players with at least 120 kills.

The UTEP offense sits 19th in the nation in hitting percentage.      

 BLOCK PARTY     

The Miners registered a season-high 18 blocks in the 3-1 win against San Francisco on Aug. 31. UTEP posted at least 10 blocks on 14 occasions – most recently against Sam Houston with 11 blocks in game one and 10 in game two. Kaya Weaver (97) leads the charge among players with at least 60 blocks. Nationally, UTEP is 2nd in team total blocks (224.5) and 20th in blocks per set (2.64).   

 BALANCED ATTACK     

UTEP showed a balanced attack versus Sam Houston with four Miners blasting home at least 2.0 kills per set. Marian Ovalle (36 kills, 4.00/set) led the charge with Alianza Darley, Torrance Lovesee, and Kaya Weaver getting after it as well.   

 IN THE CUSA SPOTLIGHT            

• Danika Washington was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week (Sep. 11) after picking up 17 blocks at the Bobcat Invitational, averaging 1.42 blocks per set. Washington totaled 35.5 points that included 27 kills with a .489 hitting percentage and was named to the Bobcat Invitational All-Tournament Team.       
• Kalia Kohler was named Freshman of the Week (Sep. 11) after she averaged 5.54 assists per set through 13 sets leading the Miners to wins over Ohio and William & Mary. In a 6-2 system, she registered 20 or more assists in each match while she helped the UTEP defense to a .241 hitting clip. Kohler also racked up four aces, two kills and 20 digs on the weekend.      
• Kohler earned her second CUSA Freshman of the Week award (Oct. 2) after her performance was influential in the Miner's success with a pair of sweeps over Jacksonville State. She led UTEP with a total of 29 assists (5.80/set) across the weekend and combined with Mattie Gantt for over 55 percent of assists in a 6-2 system. Kohler produced a .448 hitting clip and racked up one kill, three service aces and two digs in six sets.   
• Gantt and Kohler split the Setter of the Week honor (Oct. 9) as they combined for 82 percent of the team's assists in a 6-2 system. Gantt averaged 5.08 assists per set while Kohler averaged 5.87 in a 3-1 week for the Miners. Gantt recorded 61 total assists including 20 in their win over FIU on Sunday while Kohler collected 88 total assists as she reached a new career-high with 30 in a five-set loss to New Mexico State.  
• Kaya Weaver was named Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 9) as she played a major role in helping the Miners go 3-1 over the week, posting a team-high 24 blocks and 32 kills in 15 sets. The sophomore middle blocker averaged 1.56 blocks per set in their split with New Mexico State and 1.67 blocks per set in the back-to-back sweeps over FIU. In total, Weaver collected a team-high 47.5 points, three assists, three aces and three digs.   

 MINER RANKINGS           

In Conference USA, UTEP is ranked in the top three in eight categories:       

1. Team Total Blocks (224.5, 2nd NCAA)  
1. Team Service Aces (153, 9th NCAA)  
1. Blocks per Set (2.64, 20th NCAA)  
1. Aces per Set (1.89, 25th NCAA)  
2. Match W-L Pctg. (0.714, 59th NCAA)  
3. Hitting Percentage (0.274, 19th NCAA) 
3. Team Assists (943, 31st NCAA) 
3. Opp Hitting Percentage (0.195, 126th NCAA) 

THE OPPONENT         

LA Tech  

• LA Tech is entering the weekend at 6-14 overall and 1-7 in CUSA. 
• The Lady Techsters are hitting .146 as a team, and three players have at least 100 kills. Sydney Jackwin leads the way with 145 kills (2.84/set). Lauren Albrecht directs the offense with 315 assists (4.50/set). McKenzie Johson paces the squad with 320 digs (4.57/set).      
• Two players rank in the top 100 nationally: Johnson sits at No. 51 in digs per set and No. 64 in total digs while Jackwin ranks 78th in attacks per set (10.14). 
• As a team, the Lady Techsters are leading CUSA in digs per set (15.59).  
• Head Coach Amber McCray enters her fifth year as the head coach of the Louisiana Tech Volleyball program with a 40-85 record. The former Florida All-American was named the 10th head coach in the program's history in 2018. 
• UTEP is 14-8 against LA Tech.