One-on-one with UTEP’s Ben Wallis; Miners host Big 12’s Arizona Tuesday

EL PASO, Texas - The UTEP volleyball team returns to Club Memorial on Tuesday, Sept. 22, hosting Big 12 foe Arizona at 6 p.m. MT in the Miners’ final non-conference match of the 2026 season.

Tuesday’s matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+.

WEEK FOUR RECAP: TCU / BAYLOR CLASSIC

UTEP enters Tuesday’s matchup with an 8-3 record after facing three challenging opponents on the road last week, including a pair of nationally ranked teams.

The Miners opened the week in Fort Worth against No. 13 TCU, falling in four sets, 3-1 (25-13, 22-25, 25-18, 25-12), Wednesday night at Schollmaier Arena. UTEP bounced back Thursday at the Baylor Classic, defeating UIW, 3-1 (26-24, 25-18, 19-25, 25-18), at the Ferrell Center. The Miners closed the tournament Friday against No. 18 Baylor, dropping a competitive three-set decision, 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-22).

WEEKLY WINNER

SEP. 7 | UTEP freshman Mackenzi Davis was named the Mountain West's Old Trapper Women's Volleyball Freshman of the Week following her performance at the Southwest Showdown. Davis becomes the first Miner to earn a conference freshman weekly honor since the 2023 season and just the seventh player in program history to receive a freshman weekly award. The freshman totaled 27 kills, 11 blocks—including eight solo blocks—and 36.5 points across UTEP's three matches. She averaged 1.93 kills per set while hitting .300 for the weekend. Davis saved her best performance for UTEP's five-set victory over UTRGV, recording a career-high 16 kills while hitting .500.

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER

Through 11 matches, redshirt freshman Mackenzi Davis leads the Miners with 100 kills, followed closely by Luvina Oguntimehin with 98.

As a team, UTEP has recorded 551 kills this season and is hitting .239.

The Miners’ season high for kills is 62, recorded against Texas State.

Oguntimehin leads the team with a .318 hitting percentage. UTEP has hit above .300 as a team twice this season, posting a .341 clip against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and a .336 mark against UC San Diego.

THREE-HEADED ATTACK

UTEP’s balanced offensive attack has produced three players averaging at least 2.0 kills per set among those who have played 40 or more sets.

Oguntimehin leads the group with 2.28 kills per set, followed by Davis at 2.22 and Ema Uskokovic at 2.00.

SETTING THE TABLE

Operating in a 6-2 system, senior Kalia Kohler leads the Miners’ offense with 244 assists, averaging 5.42 per set.

Freshman Caryme Molina has added 103 assists while averaging 2.58 per set.

UTEP’s season high in assists is 57, recorded against Texas State.

SERVING UP PRESSURE

Lauren Perry has accounted for 25 of UTEP’s 71 service aces this season, leading the Miners in that category.

UTEP’s season high is 11 service aces, recorded against Pacific.

DIGGING DEEP

Three Miners have surpassed the 100-dig mark this season.

Lily-Rose Pichon leads UTEP with 112 digs, while Kohler and Uskokovic have each recorded 100.

The Miners’ season high is 76 digs, recorded against Texas State.

BLOCK PARTY

Hannah Crowe has anchored UTEP at the net, leading the squad with 47.0 total blocks while averaging 1.09 blocks per set.

Davis leads the team with 10 solo blocks, while Crowe has recorded a team-best 41 assisted blocks.

UTEP’s season high is 14.0 total blocks, recorded against UIW.

POINT TAKERS

Oguntimehin leads the Miners with 124.0 points on the season, averaging 2.88 points per set.

Davis follows with 121.0 points, averaging 2.69 per set.

BY THE NUMBERS

Compared to its opponents this season, UTEP holds the statistical edge in assists (502-501), service aces (71-48) and blocks (113-79.5).

Opponents hold the advantage in kills (559-551) and digs (593-572).

The Miners are hitting .239 as a team while holding their opponents to a .197 hitting percentage.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

• Arizona enters Tuesday’s matchup with a 4-6 overall record. The Wildcats are hitting .195 as a team this season.
• Nationally, Arizona ranks 54th in the NCAA in blocks per set at 2.45 and 77th in team attacks per set at 35.21, which leads the Big 12.
• Destiny Ndam-Simpson leads the Wildcats offensively with 100 kills, averaging 2.94 per set.
• Journey Tucker leads Arizona at the net with 44.0 total blocks and is averaging 1.22 blocks per set. Tucker ranks 89th nationally and 10th in the Big 12 in blocks per set.

ALL-TIME SERIES

• Arizona leads the all-time series, 7-5, with a 24-16 advantage in sets.
• The Miners won the most recent meeting, earning a 3-1 victory in Tucson during the 2025 season.
• UTEP enters Tuesday’s match riding a one-match winning streak against the Wildcats.
• Wallis is 2-1 all-time against Arizona.
• Tuesday marks just the third meeting between the two programs in El Paso. The last matchup between the Miners and Wildcats in El Paso came in 1999, when Arizona earned a 3-0 victory.
• UTEP is 1-1 against Arizona in El Paso.