EL PASO – UTEP volleyball will open up its 2022 season by playing three matches in two days at the Wildcats Classic Friday through Saturday, (Aug. 26-27) in Evanston, Ill. The Miners will take on Northeastern at 11 a.m. MT and host BIG 10 foe Northwestern at 6:30 p.m. MT on Friday (Aug. 26). UTEP will then challenge Pacific at 11 a.m. MT Saturday (Aug. 27) to wrap up the weekend.
Schedule
Friday
Vs. Northeastern – 11 a.m. MT | Live Stats
Vs. Northwestern – 6:30 p.m. MT | Stream: B1G+ Network | Live Stats
Saturday
Vs. Pacific – 11 a.m. | Live Stats
"We're ready to get rolling and we're excited," head coach Ben Wallis said. "We had a good test last weekend at Grand Canyon, and we learned a little bit about ourselves and our weaknesses. So, we have got a lot of good, young, new talent that I think people are going to be excited about. But the three teams we're facing are very different than they were last year."
Scouting Northeastern
Seniors Erica Staunton, Nailah Jenkins, and Kayla Martin earned CAA preseason honors. Staunton was tabbed to the Preseason Team, and Jenkins and Martin were named Honorable Mentions. Staunton led the Huskies in 2021 with 246 kills, Jenkins finished second on the squad in kills with 193, and Martin was stellar on defense last season, tallying 400 digs which led the team. Northeastern welcomed the additions of three freshmen and two transfers to the roster this season. Natalia Hagopian, Pono Gacutan, and Ellie Williams look to make their collegiate debuts, and graduate student transfers Nikiya Mitchell and Laura Seeger look to make their debuts in a Husky uniform. Mitchell joined Northeastern from 2021 CAA Champion Towson, and Seeger previously was at 2021 MAAC Champion Fairfield. Staunton tallied double-digit kills in 12 matches last season, highlighted by a career-high 21-kill performance vs. Elon. Jenkins also had 10 matches with double-digit kills.
The Series vs. Northeastern
The Miners will take on the Huskies for the first time in program history on Friday.
Scouting Northwestern
Northwestern enters the seventh year with Shane Davis as head coach in 2022. Davis has accumulated a record of 70-99 in six seasons, and now looks to lead a team that returns all of its significant pieces. The 'Cats bring back all of their starters from 2021, with Megan Miller, Abryanna Cannon, Tatyana Hardwick, Ella Grbac and Hanna Lesiak all opting to come back to Evanston for a fifth year. Temi Thomas-Ailara, a first team All-Big Ten nominee, also returns for her senior season after leading Northwestern in points, kills and service aces in 2021.
The Series vs. Northwestern
UTEP is 1-0 against the 'Cats with the lone win last season in the Borderland Invitational. The Miners swept the competition in a clean three-set win.
Scouting Pacific
Finishing fourth in the West Coast Conference standings a season ago with an overall record of 13-16, with 10 wins coming in conference play, the Tigers bring back 10 members from the successful 2021 season, led by WCC Libero of the Year Jadyn Tubbs. Tubbs led the conference in multiple statistical categories while earning her first-ever First Team All-WCC selection. The graduate student from Turlock, Calif., led the conference with 470 digs during the 2021 season and averaged 4.39 digs per set, ranking first among all liberos in the conference.
The Series vs. Pacific
In the three previous meetings dating back to 2007, the Tigers are undefeated against the Miners. The last time the two teams faced off, the Tigers earned a five-set victory at the Borderland Tournament during the 2019 season.
Coach Wallis on the Competition
"We got Northwestern, who had a top-10 recruiting class in the country. They're bringing back some pretty salty veterans as well, so they'll be tough to beat. Northeastern has two grad transfers that came from NCAA tournament teams, so they're going to look very different than they did in 2021. And then Pacific has a Michigan State transfer and a couple other new players on their roster that are going to make them more athletic and more competitive. So, it is three good teams and three good tests. And to play any Big Ten team on their home floor on opening weekend is going to be a challenge for us. We are looking forward to rising to the occasion, getting out there, competing, and seeing how good we are."
In the Mine Shaft
UTEP returned 12 players from last year's team that locked up the program's first 20-win season (24-8) since 2005. Leading the way is 2021 All C-USA first team honoree Serena Patterson and 2021 All C-USA second team member Alianza Darley. The Miners bring back C-USA 2021 statistical leader in digs, Alyssa Sianez (512). UTEP also added eight newcomers.
2022 Tournaments
This weekend marks the first of four tournaments that the Miners have on tap for nonconference play, including the Borderland Invitational (Sep. 1-3). UTEP will also partake in the Oral Roberts Tournament (Sep. 9-10) and the Arizona Tournament (Sep. 16-17).
Preseason Accolades
UTEP's Serena Patterson and Alianza Darley were named to the C-USA Preseason Team, as announced by the league's office Aug. 25. Last season, Patterson earned All C-USA first team recognition, was the first Miner to earn postseason tournament honors (NIVC), and became the second Miner in program history to earn AVCA All-Region honors. She paced UTEP in kills (367), total attempts (977) and points (427) and ranked second in service aces (35). Darley earned All C-USA second team honors last year as she led the team in assisted blocks (93), ranked second in total blocks (101) and third in kills (260).
For complete coverage of UTEP Women's Volleyball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @utepvb (Instagram) @UTEPVolleyball (Facebook) and @UTEP_VB (Twitter) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.
