LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The UTEP volleyball team suffered its first loss of the season against Arizona State (4-0), 3-1 (18-25, 13-25, 25-19, 10-25), Friday afternoon at the Pan American Center.   

Alianza Darley led the Miners with nine kills and two blocks. Kalia Kohler and Hande Yetis combined for 30 assists while Alyssa Sianez posted 11 digs. 

UTEP recorded a .243 match attack percentage highlighted by a .500 clip in the third set.  

SET ONE | UTEP had a strong start to kick off the match leading 10-6. The Sun Devils caught up to even out the set at 14-all and then pulled ahead, 18-12, to force a UTEP timeout. ASU had a 5-1 scoring run to take the first set, 25-18.  

SET TWO | ASU flipped the script courtesy of a 6-2 run to open set two just before UTEP's 5-1 run to knot the set, 7-7. The Sun Devils regained the lead and extended it to 18-9 after five unanswered points. ASU only allowed four more points to the Miners before securing the second set win, 25-13. 

SET THREE | The Miners found their identity in the third as they hung on to the lead for the whole set. UTEP forced ASU to take its first timeout of the match, but the Sun Devils sidebar proved successful as they tied the set at 11-11. UTEP put up three straight kills and two blocks to lead by five, 20-15. Alianza Darley closed out the set for the Miners, 25-19, to put UTEP back in the match. 

SET FOUR | UTEP locked in a 4-1 lead in the final set. ASU posted two big scoring runs to stretch the advantage, 18-8. The Miners put up two more kills before the Sun Devils ended the set with five-unanswered to win the set, 25-10. 

"ASU is a really good, veteran team and they didn't lose their identity for very long," head coach Ben Wallis said. "They pressured us from the service line, which not a lot of teams can do for long stretches. We got stressed out and didn't do a good job of responding quick enough. We moved pieces a bit in the third set as we got Marian (Ovalle) on the floor, and she scored well for us when we brought her in off the bench – I'm proud of her. We still did a lot of good things. We scored well. As a team, we still had a good attack percentage against a team that has been holding people down to low percentages, but their service pressure was too great for us, and we just stumbled. Tough loss, but we're staying in the present." 

UP NEXT  
UTEP will compete in the Bobcat Invitational, Sep. 7-9, to face off against host Ohio, William & Mary, and NC State. 

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