EL PASO – The UTEP volleyball team concluded its historic season with a hard-fought battle in the National Invitational Volleyball championship title game on Tuesday night in front of a third straight sold-out crowd of 3,271 fans inside Memorial Gym.
Despite an exceptional season that captivated fans and showcased the team's resilience, the Miners succumbed to Wichita State in straight sets, bringing an end to their unforgettable campaign. The loss, however, does not overshadow the numerous triumphs and milestones achieved by UTEP throughout the 2023 season. The Miners made history with their deepest postseason run in program history.
Two standout players, Alianza Darley and Kaya Weaver, received well-deserved recognition by being named to the NIVC All-Tournament Team.
"I'm just so proud of our group," head coach Ben Wallis said. "I have a lot of appreciation for them and how much they've given to this city, this institution and this program. This team was so hungry to win, they just got so out of character. Unfortunately, execution was not on our side today when it came to the way we normally play.
"WSU is a good team that's well-coached and they had a good plan tonight and they earned it," Wallis said. "We expected to win, and we didn't earn it and that's unfortunately the way our season ends, but I'm so proud of this team. I have a giant amount of love and admiration for this team, and I will never forget this team."
Darley led the Miners with nine kills and 10 points. Mattie Gantt (17) and Kalia Kohler (16) combined for 33 of the team's assists. For the defense, Torrance Lovesee racked up six digs while Weaver and Danika Washington stuffed three blocks each.
UTEP held the statistical advantage in aces (3-2) and blocks (6-4) but were outhit in kills (38-40) and hitting percentage (.135 - .292).
Set-by-Set: UTEP 0, WSU 3 (14-25, 22-25, 22-25)
SET ONE | Wichita State got out to a comfortable 8-3 lead. UTEP issued three kills and a block to close in by two points, 9-7. The Shockers expanded to 18-9 before UTEP's Lovesee put up a block and ace, 18-11. WSU had four unanswered points and each team went one-for-one with WSU securing the set win on a block, 25-14.
SET TWO | UTEP posted seven kills in its first 10 points to lead 10-7. The set saw three lead changes in between two timeouts with WSU knotting the set at 18-all, but two UTEP errors and a pair of kills by the Shockers pushed them in front, 22-18. WSU locked in a 2-0 advantage in the match off a kill, taking the set 25-22.
SET THREE | The final set had the same outcome as the second as both teams played a tighter frame. The Shockers held a two-point lead, only allowing the Miners to come within one on five occasions. WSU utilized a 3-0 run to stretch the lead by five, 23-18, by an ace by Ava Martindale and a kill by Marian Ovalle pulled the Miners within 23-21. WSU put down two more kills to wrap up the sweep, 25-22.
Give a gift to UTEP Women's Volleyball by donating to the Point Miners Club.
For complete coverage of UTEP Women's Volleyball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @utepvb (Instagram) @UTEPVolleyball (Facebook) and @UTEPVB (Twitter) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.
