EL PASO - UTEP volleyball (16-2, 6-0 conference USA) will face Louisiana Tech in a two-match series on October 12-13 at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, Louisiana. The match times have been adjusted, with Saturday's match moved up to 1 p.m. MT and Sunday's first serve scheduled for 11 a.m. MT.
SCHEDULE
^All Times Mountain Daylight
HITTING WITH CONSISTENCY
UTEP is hitting .283 paced by two Miners who are killing it at or above the mark. Kaya Weaver (.433) leads the team among players with at least 100 kills. The UTEP offense sits 15th in the nation in hitting percentage.
BLOCK PARTY
The Miners registered 16 blocks in the 3-0 sweep against Utah State on Sept. 1. The Miners have recorded double-digit blocks 11 times this season. Kaya Weaver leads the team with 94 blocks. Nationally, UTEP is 5th in blocks per set (3.02) and team total blocks (184.5) while leading CUSA.
BALANCED ATTACK
UTEP showed a balanced attack against NM State, with five Miners blasting home at least 2.0 kills per set. Among players with at least 15 kills over the weekend, Ema Uskokovic and Kaya Weaver (18 kills, 2.57k/s) led the way with Torrance Lovesee and Sara Pustahija (15 kills, 2.15k/s) getting after it as well.
MAKING HISTORY
On October 9, during UTEP's 3-1 win over NM State, Alyssa Sianez made history by breaking the all-time program record for career digs. With her outstanding performance, she surpassed the previous record of 1,369 digs, which had been held by Sarah Villa (2013-16) for eight years. Sianez's achievement marks a significant milestone in the program's history and solidifies her legacy as one of its all-time greats.
IN THE CUSA SPOTLIGHT
Ema Uskokovic – Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 7, Week 6)
- Uskokovic led UTEP to two sweeps over Sam Houston with 24 kills, hitting .373 across six sets. She racked up 33.0 points (5.5 points per set) with five aces, 12 digs, and eight blocks, showcasing her all-around game.
Kaya Weaver – Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 7, Week 6)
- Weaver was dominant at the net, recording 12 blocks (2 solo) and averaging 2.00 blocks per set. She also added 19 kills with a .500 hitting percentage, totaling 26.0 points (4.33 per set) across the two wins.
Mattie Gantt and Kalia Kohler – Co-Setters of the Week (Sep. 23, Week 4)
- Gantt (65 assists) and Kohler (64 assists) combined for 129 assists (10.75 per set) to lead UTEP to a 3-0 record at the UTEP Southwest Showdown, guiding the offense to a .282 hitting percentage.
Mattie Gantt and Kalia Kohler – Co-Setters of the Week (Sep. 16, Week 3)
- Gantt (62 assists) and Kohler (64 assists) directed UTEP's offense at the South Dakota Classic, combining for 126 assists (11.45 per set) and a .262 hitting percentage in a 2-1 weekend, including a sweep over Iowa State.
Mattie Gantt and Kalia Kohler – Co-Setters of the Week (Sept. 9, Week 2)
- Gantt (50 assists) and Kohler (62 assists) led UTEP to a 3-0 weekend at the Borderland Invitational, combining for 112 assists and guiding the team to 14.10 kills per set and a .307 hitting percentage.
Kaya Weaver – Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 9, Week 2)
- Weaver starred at the Borderland Invitational with 27 kills and a .641 hitting percentage. She added 19 blocks and 3 aces, earning tournament MVP honors and helping UTEP to a 3-0 weekend.
Kaya Weaver – Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 2, Week 1)
- Weaver excelled at the Utah Classic, tallying 21 kills and 21 blocks. She set program records with 10 block assists and 12 total blocks against Utah State, helping UTEP to a 2-1 record.
MINER RANKINGS
Nationally, UTEP is ranked in the top 55 in 11 categories:
5. Blocks per Set (3.02)*
5. Team Service Aces (135)*
5. Team Total Blocks (184.5)*
6. Aces per Set (2.21)*
10. Opponent Hitting Percentage (0.144)*
12. Match W-L Percentage (0.889)*
15. Hitting Percentage (0.283)
26. Kills per Set (13.69)*
32. Team Kills (835)
40. Team Assists (755)
54. Assists per Set (12.41)*
*CUSA Leader
UTEP has two players ranked in the Top 20 in NCAA while leading the conference.
THE OPPONENT
Louisiana Tech
- LA Tech enters the series at 6-13 (0-6 CUSA).
- Last Two: LA Tech suffered a tough 3-1 loss to Sam Houston on Tuesday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center. Despite a strong effort, they couldn't close out the match. The next day, the Bulldogs tied the program record for most blocks in a match during the rally scoring era, but it wasn't enough to secure a win. Louisiana Tech fell again to Sam Houston in four closely contested sets.
- Team Ranks: Nationally, Louisiana Tech ranks 29th in team digs with 1,021, 47th in total team attacks with 2,305, and 76th in digs per set, averaging 15.47.
- Player Ranks: Individually, Charlize Williams ranks 38th in the NCAA and 4th in Conference USA with an impressive 74 total blocks.
- Series: UTEP leads the all-time series against Louisiana Tech, 19-7, with the first meeting dating back to 1994. In their most recent encounter, a two-match series in 2023, UTEP swept the Bulldogs in both matches in El Paso. The Miners are currently on a dominant 10-match winning streak in the series, having only dropped two sets during that span.
Give a gift to UTEP Women's Volleyball by donating to the Point Miners Club.
Stay up to date with UTEP Volleyball by subscribing to the team's newsletter here.
For complete coverage of UTEP Women's Volleyball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @utepvb (Instagram) @UTEPVolleyball (Facebook) and @UTEPVB (X) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.
