EL PASO – UTEP Volleyball delivered a commanding performance Friday night at Club Memorial, sweeping Sam Houston, 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-16) in their Conference USA home opener. The Miners controlled the match from start to finish, with strong serving and relentless blocking.

UTEP improves to 13-2 (3-0 CUSA) while Sam Houston drops to 7-7 (2-1 CUSA). 

MATCH SUMMARY    
UTEP swept Sam Houston in three dominant sets, starting with a 25-19 win in the first. UTEP took control early with kills from Ema Uskokovic and Lauren Perry, along with strong blocking from Kaya Weaver and Perry, pushing the Miners ahead. UTEP maintained momentum in the second set, battling back after a challenge to tie the score at 7-7. Key kills from Uskokovic, Torrance Lovesee, and Danika Washington, along with solid serving and blocking, helped UTEP secure a 25-21 win to go up 2-0. The Miners then stormed through the third set, jumping to a commanding 12-0 lead and never looking back. Multiple service aces from Lovesee and strong blocking from Uskokovic, Weaver, and Sara Pustahija carried UTEP to a 25-16 victory, sealing the 3-0 sweep. 

LEADERBOARD       

• Ema Uskokovic led UTEP to victory with a match-high 10 kills while hitting an impressive .348, contributing a match-best 14.0 points.  
• The offense was effectively directed by setters Kalia Kohler and Mattie Gantt, who combined for 36 assists, guiding the team to a .276 hitting percentage.  
• Torrance Lovesee was sharp at the service line, delivering 4 aces.  
• Alyssa Sianez anchored the defense with 10 digs. 
• Kaya Weaver dominated at the net with 9 total blocks (1 solo, 8 assisted), helping UTEP secure a strong defensive front in the match. 

SPLIT BOX       
UTEP held the all-around statistical advantage in kills (38-29), service aces (10-4), and blocks (14.5-3.0). UTEP registered a .276 hitting percentage and held Sam Houston to a .075 H%.  

RECORD BOOK NOTES 

• Kaya Weaver's standout performance tied program records, as she tallied 8 block assists and 9 total blocks, matching the second-most in program history for a three-set match.  
• Weaver's 8 block assists in the match, propelled her into UTEP's all-time career top 5 list, where she now ranks third with a total of 310 career block assists.
• UTEP's team defense was equally impressive, as they recorded 23 block assists, now the third-highest mark in program history.  
• UTEP'S 14.5 total blocks secured another third-place spot in the record book for a three-set match.

SET-BY-SET      
ONE | UTEP and Sam Houston traded points early in the set, with UTEP gaining momentum from a kill by Ema Uskokovic to tie the score at 4-4. A service ace by Mattie Gantt pushed the Miners ahead, and they continued to build their lead with back-to-back kills by Lauren Perry and a block combination by Kaya Weaver and Perry, extending their advantage to 10-6. Sam Houston called a timeout at 11-6, but UTEP maintained control with another block by Perry and Weaver, followed by a kill from Weaver. Despite a mid-set rally by Sam Houston, UTEP pulled away after a timeout with key kills by Uskokovic and Torrance Lovesee. An ace by Alyssa Sianez and blocks from Lovesee and Weaver closed out the set at 25-19, putting UTEP up 1-0. 

TWO | UTEP fell behind early in the second set but fought back, tying the score at 7-7 after a successful challenge. Ema Uskokovic's kill and a block from Weaver helped UTEP stay competitive, and the Miners took the lead with an ace from Lovesee and another block by Weaver. A media timeout at 15-12 allowed the Miners to regroup, and they stretched their lead with kills by Danika Washington and Lovesee. The momentum carried UTEP through Sam Houston's timeout, as Perry, Weaver, and Lovesee combined for points to push the score to 24-21. A Sam Houston error sealed the set, and UTEP took a commanding 2-0 lead. 

THREE |  UTEP dominated from the start in the third set, jumping to an 12-0 lead behind a string of kills from Uskokovic, Weaver, and Pustahija, along with multiple service aces from Lovesee. Sam Houston used two timeouts early in the set but couldn't slow down UTEP, as Uskokovic and Weaver continued to rack up blocks and kills. Despite a brief rally from Sam Houston, the Miners maintained their control, with kills from Lovesee and Landry Braziel, and solid defense from Uskokovic and Washington. A block from Pustahija and Washington finished the set 25-16, completing the sweep as UTEP took the match 3-0. 

"We had a couple of components of our game working really well today, especially from the service line," head coach Ben Wallis said. "Ten aces in three sets is hard to do, but more importantly, we were pushing and pulling them (Sam Houston) exactly where we wanted them, which was great. We need that to remain a big piece of our game. Defensively, 14.5 blocks is pretty dang good for a three-set match, and we've done that before this season when we set a team record. That shows what we're capable of. We had a really good scout on what we wanted to stop, and the players were intentional with their hands, putting the ball to the floor. Our strength coach, Traimain Johnson, has even been challenged to do push-ups for every block we get. Offensively, .276 isn't bad, but I know we can be better, and we're going to improve tomorrow with better passing and a stronger game plan. Stopping them at .075, when they've been hitting around .190 this season, shows how efficient we were. We earned our win, got better with each set, and to go up 12-0 in the third thanks to Torrance's incredible serving run was just awesome. Sam Houston will adjust tactically tomorrow, but 63 points to their 36 tells you a lot about how well we executed today." 

UP NEXT          
The Miners wrap up series versus Sam Houston on Saturday, October 5 at noon at Club Memorial. 
 

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