TUCSON – The Miners made a valiant effort against Pac-12 foes, but eventually fell to Oregon and (RV) Arizona State to close out the Cactus Classic in its opening weekend at Bear Down Beach.

"We really learned a lot against four quality teams this weekend," head coach Ben Wallis said. "We weren't hurting for talent, athleticism, or tactics, and that was evident. We're just a long way away in the skill and experience departments. It was nice to get out and compete against teams other than ourselves and be able to measure our strengths—what we're good at—but more importantly, what our weaknesses are and where we need to be better at in the coming months.  

Game 1: Oregon 5, UTEP 0 
Oregon got on the board first with a win on court four. The Ducks went on to clinch the match with back-to-back victories at No. 3 and 2, respectively. On court two, Ema Uskokovic and Sara Pustahija dropped a pair of tight sets to Oregon's Wetton and Tyus in the clinching decision. 

UTEP picked up a first-set lead at the top spot with Krista Paegle and Katie Martin. In the final match of the morning, Madison Hill and Marian Ovalle lost in three sets to the Ducks pair of Falau and Peterson. The teams split the first two sets, and the UTEP duo jumped out to a lead in the third. Hill and Ovalle led by one—up 14-13—but the Ducks rallied to pull off the extra-point win. 

Results (Order of Finish: 4, 3, 2*, 1, 5) 

1) Brown/Amanza (UO) def. Paegle/Martin (UTEP) 16-21, 21-17, 15-8 

2) Wetton/Tyus (UO) def. Uskokovic/Pustahija (UTEP) 23-21, 21-12 

3) Pelvin/Rotshtein (UO) def. Savannah Marenco/Serena Patterson (UTEP) 21-12, 21-19 

4) Schroeder/George (UO) def. Aaliyah Austin/Paulina Acuna (UTEP) 21-19, 21-12 

5) Folau/Peterson (UO) def. Hill/Ovalle (UTEP) 15-21, 21-19, 16-14 

Game 2: (RV) Arizona State 5, UTEP 0 
ASU took the first point with a win on court four and snatched a swift second win in the twos. In the No. 5 spot, the teams went back and forth and into extra points, but ASU pulled through with a 24-22 tally in the first set and carried that momentum into the second to secure the win. 

ASU went on to win the remaining two matches, clinching the sweep. 

Results (Order of Finish: 4, 2, 5*, 3, 1) 

1) Sweeny/Wickley (ASU) def. Paegle/Martin (UTEP) 21-13, 21-16 

2) Waters/Ames (ASU) def. Uskokovic/Pustahija (UTEP) 21-8, 21-16 

3) Pemberton/Weber (ASU) def. Marenco/Patterson (UTEP) 21-13, 21-11 

4) Thomas/Nieves Papaleo (ASU) def. Austin/Acuna (UTEP) 21-14, 21-10 

5) Fitzgerald/Kael (ASU) def. Hill/Ovalle (UTEP) 24-22, 21-14 

"All 12 of our players gained valuable experience this weekend, and we're proud of our start as a Miner Beach Volleyball program. Now it's our job as a coaching staff to go back and watch the videos and get better every week prior to the championship for Conference USA in late April," Wallis said. 
 
UP NEXT 
The Miners will travel to Bakersfield, Calif. to participate in CSU Bakersfield's tournament March 10-11. UTEP will face off against the Roadrunners, Concordia Irvine and The Master's. 

For complete coverage of UTEP Beach Volleyball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @utepbeachvb (Instagram) and @UTEPBeachVB (Twitter) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.