EL PASO – UTEP Volleyball heads to Vermillion, S.D. for the South Dakota Classic Friday, Sept. 13 through Sunday, Sept. 15. UTEP meets Iowa State on Friday at 3 p.m., plays Montana State Saturday at 1 p.m. and takes on South Dakota Sunday at 11:30 a.m. inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. 

  SCHEDULE   

^All Times Mountain Daylight  
All matches will be streamed on the Summit League Network, a subscription is required. 
2024 South Dakota Classic Central 

  HITTING WITH CONSISTENCY   
UTEP is hitting .297 paced by four Miners who are killing it at or above the mark. Kaya Weaver (.500) leads the team among players with at least 30 kills. The UTEP offense sits 10th in the nation in hitting percentage while leading CUSA.     

  BLOCK PARTY   
The Miners registered 16 blocks in the 3-0 sweep against Utah State on Sept. 1. Kaya Weaver leads the team with 40 blocks. Nationally, UTEP is 3rd in blocks per set (3.63) and 13th in total blocks (69.0) while leading CUSA.  

  BALANCED ATTACK   
UTEP showed a balanced attack at the Borderland Invitational, with four Miners blasting home at least 2.0 kills pet set. Among players with at least 20 kills over the weekend, Ema Uskokovic (3.90k/s) led the way with Kaya Weaver (2.70k/s), Torrance Lovesee (2.10k/s), and Lauren Perry (2.10k/s) getting after it as well.  

  IN THE CUSA SPOTLIGHT   
Mattie Gantt and Kalia Kohler – Co-Setters of the Week (Sept. 9) 

• Played pivotal roles in UTEP's 3-0 weekend at the Borderland Invitational. Gantt tallied 50 assists, averaging 5.00 assists per set, while adding 2 kills, 4 aces, and 14 digs. Kohler, who started all three matches, recorded 62 assists (6.20 per set), a team-high 5 aces, and 19 digs. Together in UTEP's 6-2 system, the duo combined for 112 assists and guided the offense to 14.10 kills per set with a .307 hitting percentage. 

Kaya Weaver – Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 9) 

• Had a standout weekend for UTEP at the Borderland Invitational, helping the team go 3-0 and was named the All-Tournament Team MVP. Weaver made three starts and played in 10 sets, delivering 27 kills. She led the team with a remarkable .641 hitting percentage and contributed 3 aces and 19 blocks. Her career-high 14 kills with a .765 hitting percentage were crucial in UTEP's win over Air Force for a four consecutive sweep. 

Kaya Weaver – Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 2) 

• Delivered an impressive performance, earning all-tournament team honors at the Utah Classic. She led UTEP to a 2-1 record sweeping both Green Bay and Utah State. Against Utah, she recorded 11 kills with a .529 hitting percentage. Against Green Bay, she added 5 kills and 6 blocks. Her standout performance came against Utah State, where she notched 5 kills, hit .364, served 3 aces, and set new program records with 10 block assists and 12 total blocks in a 3-set match. Overall, Weaver tallied 21 kills, hit .366, a team-high 21 blocks, and accumulated a team-high 36.0 points.  

  MINER RANKINGS   
Nationally, UTEP is ranked in the top 100 in eight categories:   
3. Blocks per set (3.63)* 
10. Hitting Percentage (0.297)* 
13. Team Total Blocks (69.0)* 
18. Opponent Hitting Percentage (0.131)* 
24. Aces per Set (2.16) 
35. Match W-L Percentage (0.833) 
82. Kills per Set (13.16) 
86. Team Service Aces (41) 
*CUSA Leader  

UTEP has two players ranked in the Top 15 in NCAA while leading the conference  

THE OPPONENTS   
Iowa State 

• ISU enters the weekend at 4-2. 
• Head Coach Christy Johnson-Lynch continues her 20th season leading Iowa State and holds 371 career victories (.648 winning percentage), with 203 of those being Big 12 wins to rank fourth in all-time conference history. Iowa State totals 10 20-win seasons under Johnson-Lynch, including the past two seasons. 
• Last match against Iowa, Iowa State won 3-1 and took the third straight win in the series and 32nd in series history. Nayeli Gonzalez put up 18 kills at a career-high .483 hitting percentage. Iowa State hit at .407 through the match, making for the 16th time ISU has hit .400 or above under Johnson-Lynch. 
• Morgan Brandt stands 56 assists away from hitting 2,000 in her career. The junior's 1,944 ranks 12th in school history. 
• Friday will be the first meeting between the Cyclones and the Miners. 

Montana State 

• MSU enters the weekend at 1-4. 
• In his first season at Montana State, second-year Head Coach Matt Houk led the team to a memorable 24-9 overall record and a 12-4 finish in Big Sky play—both the best marks in program history.  
• MSU played in its first postseason national tournament and advanced to the Fab Four of the 2023 NIVC with victories over Pacific, Sacramento State, and Wyoming. MSU lost to eventual champion Wichita State in the semis. 
• The Bobcats went 0-3 last weekend at the Husker Invite hosted by Nebraska in Lincoln. MSU suffered a 3-2 setback in its first match with Denver, followed by 3-1 decision to The Citadel, and a 3-0 sweep via #2 Nebraska. Montana State was led by junior outside hitter Madilyn Siebler, who averaged 2.92 kills and 2.83 digs per set. Siebler had her best outing against with 15 kills and 13 digs. 
• The all-time series between UTEP and Montana State is tied at 2-2, with UTEP winning 3-0 in 1992 and 3-2 in 1995, and Montana State winning 3-2 in 2009 and 3-0 in 2019. 

South Dakota 

• USD is entering the weekend at 3-2. 
• After dropping their first two matches at the NKU Invitational this past weekend, the Coyotes returned home following a 3-1 win over RV Missouri. 
• Through the first two weeks of play, Avery Van Hook currently ranks 26th in the NCAA and first among Summit League setters in assists per set (10.6). 
• Leanne Williamson begins her 11th season as the head coach of the Coyotes and holds the record for most by a USD head coach with a 213- 93 record (.696). 
• South Dakota leads the all-time series 1-0 against the Miners, with the lone meeting occurring in 2022 at the UTEP Borderland Invitational, where the Coyotes secured a 3-2 win. 

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