EL PASO – UTEP Beach Volleyball is set to make waves in its second year as head Coach Ben Wallis reveals the 2024 schedule. With an exciting lineup that includes four tournaments and a robust series of 24 road duals, the Miners gear up for a thrilling season in the sand.
In the 2024 schedule, the Miners are poised to face high-caliber opponents, with four teams having participated in the 2023 national tournament. Notably, three of these teams secured automatic bids as conference champions: Florida Atlantic (CUSA), UT Martin (OVC), and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Southland). Additionally, GCU also earned a coveted spot in the bracket, adding to the competitive lineup that UTEP will encounter.
"I am so excited for the 2024 season," associate head coach Daniel Foo said. "Our schedule continues to be challenging. I believe we have a good opportunity to get better results this year and continue to grow this program. We open the season at UA with an opportunity to face three non-conference opponents that we faced last year. I cherish the chance to measure how much better we are with these matches. Because of the proximity we will go to Arizona four times this year and also travel to UAB and Corpus Christi. I am also excited to get UAB and FAU in the regular season so that we see them before the conference tournament. This group of players are working really hard, and we are all anxious for the season to start. The countdown for the 2024 season has begun."
The Miners will travel to four tournaments this spring semester, starting with Arizona's Cactus Classic the weekend of Feb. 23-24, and concluding with duals at GCU from Apr. 6-7.
Conference USA added three new affiliate members in beach volleyball ahead of the 2024 season – TCU, Tarleton State, and Missouri State. These additions increase current league membership to nine schools for the 2024 season, as the Horned Frogs, Texans and Bears join FIU, Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville State, Tulane, UAB and UTEP as members of CUSA beach volleyball.
The season kicks off on February 23-24 at Arizona's Cactus Classic at Bear Down Beach, where UTEP will face off against Colorado Mesa, San Francisco, Arizona, and CSU Bakersfield.
Following the Cactus Classic, the Miners will continue their journey at the UAB Beach Classic on March 2-3, competing against Eastern Kentucky, UT Martin, UAB, and the reigning CUSA Champions, Florida Atlantic. This will be the first time UTEP takes on conference opponents during the regular season.
On March 14, the Miners are back at Bear Down Beach, where they will take on Park and Benedictine in head-to-head duals. The team will then head to Mesa Community College on March 15 for more exhilarating duals against MCC and Park.
The Arizona Invitational on March 22-23 will see UTEP facing off against ACU, Missouri State, Utah, and Santa Clara.
As the season progresses, UTEP will participate in an all-Texan event at the Islander Classic on March 29-30, where they will compete against host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas, Stephen F. Austin, and UT Martin.
The Miners will close out the regular season at GCU on April 6-7 as they take on Central Arkansas and GCU.
The Conference USA Championship is set to take place in Youngsville, Louisiana from April 25-27.
See full schedule here.
For complete coverage of UTEP Beach Volleyball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at UTEP Beach Volleyball (Facebook), @utepbeachvb (Instagram) and @UTEPBeachVB (Twitter) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.
