TUCSON, Ariz. - The UTEP beach volleyball team dominated Bear Down Beach at the Arizona Invitational Friday, securing victories in both matches on the opening day. In the morning session, the Miners defeated Arizona Christian with a commanding 4-1 victory in four straight sweeps. Their momentum continued into the afternoon matchup against Conference USA foe Missouri State, where UTEP clinched another impressive 4-1 win for its first league win in program history. The team sealed the victory with a trio of sweeps and a remarkable comeback three-set win.

"I'm really proud of the group today," head coach Ben Wallis said. "A sign of a growing and evolving team and program is always the ability to get wins when you're not playing your best. We saw a lot of growth and improvements. We have a couple of tough matches tomorrow against Santa Clara and Utah and so we're going to have to turn around and play aggressively all over again tomorrow!"

"Several of our teams are building confidence in both their skills and our offensive and defensive systems," associate head coach Daniel Foo said. "I am very proud of the work they have put in and I am very happy they are seeing results."

MATCH 1: UTEP 4, ACU 1
In a thrilling match against the Firestorm, UTEP's top two pairs delivered swift sweeps to set the tone early on. The 4's pair continued the momentum with a match-clinching sweep, securing a resounding victory for the Miners. Although UTEP's 3's contributed a point on the board, ACU managed to grab a point on court 5.

Results (Order of Finish: 2, 1, 4*, 3, 5)

1. Krista Paegle/Pauling Acuna (UTEP) def. Becdkler/Brown (ACU) 21-15, 21-10
2. Madison Hill/Summer McDonough (UTEP) def. McCall/Horner (ACU) 21-17, 21-9
3. Katie Martin/Marian Ovalle (UTEP) def. Cho/Dykstra (ACU) 21-19, 21-17
4. Mila Popovic/Ema Uskokovic (UTEP) def. Shaw/Boeckman (ACU) 21-15, 21-17
5. Brown/Katzer (ACU) def. Adriana Oporto/Alexis Massey (UTEP) 24-26, 21-14, 15-7

MATCH 2: UTEP 4, MSU 1
In another commanding display of skill, UTEP's 2's pair once again set the pace by swiftly putting a point on the board. Following suit, the 4's pair executed flawlessly, securing another sweep for the Miners. Despite a point snagged by MSU on court 5, UTEP's top pair swooped in with a clutch win via sweep to clinch the match in their favor. Meanwhile, UTEP's 3's staged an impressive rally, bouncing back after dropping the opener to secure a hard-fought victory in three sets.

Results (Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5, 1*, 3)

1. Krista Paegle/Pauling Acuna (UTEP) def. Bach/Niemeyer (MSU) 21-13, 21-14
2. Madison Hill/Summer McDonough (UTEP) def. Steele/Cleary (MSU) 21-12, 21-14
3. Katie Martin/Marian Ovalle (UTEP) def. Muriel/Eschleman (MSU) 12-21, 22-20, 15-10
4. Mila Popovic/Ema Uskokovic (UTEP) def. McSpadden/Larkin (MSU) 23-21, 21-14
5. Plessner/Schrandt (MSU) def. Adriana Oporto/Alexis Massey (UTEP) 21-12, 21-6

UP NEXT
The Miners will take on Utah at 12 p.m. MDT and Santa Clara at 2 p.m. MDT on day two of the Arizona Invitational.  

 

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