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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