DALLAS – UTEP's Alianza Darley and Torrance Lovesee were selected to Conference USA's Preseason Team, it was announced Thursday afternoon. In addition to the All-Preseason picks, the Miners were predicted to finish second in the nine-member league.  

"Each year the expectation of this program continues to rise and that's a good thing because that means we're doing well and we're showing progress," head coach Ben Wallis said. "Last year, the one thing we did not do a good job of is dealing with those expectations stresswise over the course of a long season, but I'm excited to see how we deal with those expectations this year and how our staff does in terms of getting our team through the peaks and the valleys." 

The Miners are coming off another winning season in Wallis' fourth year as head coach. The Miners went 17-13 in the 2022 season and finished in the top 50 in four categories in the NCAA while setting historic program numbers. The team finished fifth in the country in team service aces (240). 

"Getting Alianza Darley and Torrance Lovesee on that preseason all-conference team is great and it's fun for the players to see their names on there, but if you allow that pressure to build stress to make it bigger than it is then it becomes a problem," Wallis said. 

Darley 2022 Accolades  

• CUSA Preseason Team 
• Ranked third in CUSA in total blocks (126) and fifth in blocks per set (1.04)  
• CUSA All-Conference Second Team 

Darley led the team with 126 total blocks combined of 13 solo and 113 assisted and hit for .300 or better on 10 occasions.  

Lovesee 2022 Accolades

• Three-time CUSA Player of the Week: 2x-Offensive Player of the Week, Co-Freshman of the Week  
• Ranked 16th in CUSA in kills/set (2.73)  
• CUSA All-Conference Second Team 

Lovesee paced the Miner offense in kills (295), kills per set (2.73), and points per set (3.25). She ranked second on the team in total points (350.5) while hitting for .300 or better on seven occasions. 

"At the end of the day nothing else matters about the preseason results – what matters is the end of the year stuff and where we fit in into the top half of this conference," Wallis said. "If we are ranked one or two at the end of the year, like where we are picked to be, then we're going to give ourselves a chance to win this conference championship and that is the whole goal." 

CUSA teams will compete in a single division this season with the top eight teams qualifying for the 2023 CUSA Volleyball Championship. Liberty will host the single-elimination tournament November 17-19 in Lynchburg, Va.  

CUSA Preseason Player of the Year 
Paige Briggs, WKU, 5-Sr., OH 

CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team 
Syra Tanchin, FIU 
Kamryn Bacus, Liberty 
Delaney Dilfer, Liberty 
McKenzie Johnson, LA Tech 
Kayla Henley, MTSU 
Adri Rhoda, MTSU 
Mari Sharp, NM State 
Ryleigh Whitekettle, NM State 
Starr Williams, NM State 
Hannah Baker, Sam Houston 
Alianza Darley, UTEP 
Torrance Lovesee, UTEP 
Callie Bauer, WKU 
Paige Briggs, WKU 
Kaylee Cox, WKU 
Kenadee Coyle, WKU 

NOTE – due to a tie within the voting there are 16 student-athletes included on the All-Conference Team. 

CUSA Preseason Poll (first place votes) 
1. WKU (8) 
2. UTEP (1) 
3. Liberty 
4. NM State 
5. MTSU 
6. FIU 
7. Sam Houston 
8. Jax State 
9. LA Tech 

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