UTEP Volleyball Overcomes Setback to Defeat Montana State 3-1

VERMILLION, South Dakota (KVIA) -- Torrance Lovesee led the charge for the Miners at the South Dakota Classic, delivering a dominant performance as UTEP (7-1) rallied from a set deficit to secure a 3-1 victory over Montana State on Saturday afternoon. 

UTEP bounced back from a tough first set loss to Montana State, winning the next three sets to secure a 3-1 match victory. In the second set, the Miners rallied with key contributions from Torrance Lovesee and Sara to even the match. UTEP took control in the third set, leveraging strong performances from Ema Uskokovic and Lovesee to pull ahead. The Miners finished strong in the fourth set, with a solid team effort and critical plays from Weaver and Lovesee, ultimately winning 25-20 to clinch the match. 

LEADERBOARD  

• In UTEP's match against Montana State, three Miners registered double-digit kills while hitting above .300. Torrance Lovesee led the way with a match-high 20 kills, hitting .316 and matching her personal best in kills. Kaya Weaver followed with 11 kills at an impressive .500 hitting percentage, while Danika Washington added 10 kills, hitting .421.  
• Lovesee also posted a match-high 21.5 points.  
• The duo of Mattie Gantt (27 assists) and Kalia Kohler (26 assists) combined for 53 assists, directing the Miners' offense to a .259 hitting percentage.  
• Madison Hill tallied four aces, and Washington led the defense with three blocks.  
• On the defensive side, four Miners reached double digits in digs: Ema Uskokovic (12), Gantt (12), Lovesee (11), and Kohler (11).
• Three Miners recorded double-doubles: Lovesee (kills, digs), Gantt (assists, digs), and Kohler (assists, digs). 

RECORDS & MILESTONES  
UTEP's 12 aces in the four-set match earned the team a spot in the program's top 10, ranking 8th overall. 

SPLIT BOX  
UTEP held the statistical advantage in kills (61-41), hitting percentage (.259 - .206), and service aces (12-4), but were out blocked, 5-12. 

SET-BY-SET 
ONE | UTEP started strong with a block by Kaya Weaver and Torrance Lovesee to take the opening point. The set remained competitive, with Sara Putahija contributing a kill for a 3-2 UTEP advantage, but Montana State rallied, eventually pulling ahead 12-8 after a series of errors and kills. Despite a timeout, the Miners struggled to close the gap, with Lovesee and Ema Uskokovic trying to keep UTEP in the game with timely kills. A late surge saw UTEP come back from 18-22 to 24-24 with strong plays from Pustahija and Weaver, but MSU secured the final two points to win the set 26-24. 

TWO | UTEP responded immediately in the second set, with another opening block from Lauren Perry and Danika Washington. Lovesee took charge with several key kills, helping the Miners gain momentum and pull ahead 9-5 after an MSU error. UTEP kept up the pressure, with Pustahija and Mattie Gantt landing aces and Lovesee, Weaver, and Washington continuing to score efficiently. The Miners never looked back, with Lovesee finishing off the set with a kill for a 25-19 victory, leveling the match at one set apiece.

THREE | The third set saw both teams trading points early, with UTEP taking a slight 5-3 lead after a Weaver kill and a Madison Hill ace. Montana State kept it close, but UTEP took advantage of MSU errors and a series of strong plays from Uskokovic, Washington, and Lovesee to extend their lead to 17-10, forcing MSU into two timeouts. Though MSU fought back to within two points, a kill by Lovesee and an MSU error secured the set for UTEP 25-22, giving them a 2-1 lead in the match. 

FOUR | UTEP dominated the fourth set, jumping out to a 5-2 lead after kills from Weaver, Lovesee, and Washington. An ace by Weaver and another by Hill extended the advantage to 11-6, prompting an MSU timeout. UTEP's aggressive serving continued to pay off, and with a combination of blocks and kills from Uskokovic, Washington, and Lovesee, the Miners kept the pressure on. Weaver's final kill and Iana Loera's ace sealed the set 25-20, giving UTEP a 3-1 match victory over Montana State. 

“We didn’t have our best today, but we battled, grinded, and figured things out even though we caused some problems for ourselves at times,” UTEP head coach Ben Wallis said. “Montana State refused to hit into our block, which put pressure on us to function out of system, but Torrance [Lovesee] was really good at handling that, and our middles were highly efficient attacking. Montana State is the first team all year to out-block us, and that forced us to defend better. We had to get points from the service line, and we did that—Madison Hill was ripping it and has been big for us this weekend. MSU came in with a plan, but luckily, we’re pretty good at playing different styles of volleyball. We were able to grind out a gutty win when we didn’t have our best.”

UP NEXT 
UTEP will wrap up the South Dakota Classic on Sunday, Sep. 15 as the Miners go up against South Dakota at 11:30am MDT.