MIAMI, Florida – Head coach Ben Wallis earned his 100th career victory as UTEP Volleyball (11-2, 1-0 Conference USA) swept FIU 3-0 in their Conference USA opener on Friday evening at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. The Miners dominated the match, starting the conference season on a high note with the milestone win for Wallis. 

"It was a lot of fun coaching this match, especially towards the end of the first set when we regrouped," Wallis said. "I told the team, 'I think we can still win this set. If we serve well, we can go on a run, so let's stay locked in and grind our way back.' I never felt like we were out of control—FIU was defending hard and keeping the ball off the ground, and we weren't getting kills by hitting it hard. We were trying too much finesse at first. But once we started hitting hard in transition and getting kills, we rolled from there. We found our rhythm from the service line and defensively figured out what we needed to do.  

"It was really special to share that 100th win moment with this team; they're a special group" Wallis said. "The video made for me was sweet, and it was great to celebrate with people I've had some amazing moments with throughout my career. It makes me happy to know that we now have fans across the world who cheer on the Miners, and that we're a volleyball program people want to watch and support." 

MATCH SUMMARY  
After a tight first set where UTEP mounted a late comeback to win 28-26, the Miners took control in the second set, jumping to an early lead and finishing 25-16 with strong kills and blocking. In the third set, UTEP maintained its momentum, pulling ahead mid-set and closing it out 25-16, aided by solid offensive contributions and well-timed blocks.  

LEADERBOARD     

• Ema Uskokovic led UTEP with a standout performance, recording 11 kills while hitting an efficient .310 and tallying a match-high 12.5 points.  
• The Miners' offense was orchestrated by Mattie Gantt (19 assists) and Kalia Kohler (16 assists), who combined for 35 assists and guided the team to an impressive .296 hitting percentage.  
• Defensively, Alyssa Sianez anchored the back row with 10 digs, while Uskokovic, Kaya Weaver, and Danika Washington each contributed 3 blocks at the net. 

SPLIT BOX     
UTEP held the all-around statistical advantage in kills (44-28) and blocks (8-4). The Miners registered a .296 hitting percentage and held the Panthers to just .027. Both teams had four aces each.

SET-BY-SET    
ONE | UTEP started slowly, falling behind FIU 3-7 before clawing back with kills from Ema Uskokovic and Kaya Weaver, reducing the gap to 7-8. FIU maintained a slim lead throughout much of the set, but UTEP stayed close, aided by multiple FIU errors and strong kills by Uskokovic, Sara Pustahija, and Weaver. The Miners faced set point at 20-24 but mounted a dramatic comeback, tying it at 24-24 with FIU errors and Uskokovic's kills. UTEP sealed the set 28-26 after back-to-back kills by Weaver. 

TWO | UTEP dominated from the start, racing to a 6-2 lead with kills from Pustahija and blocks by Uskokovic and Weaver. FIU struggled to gain momentum, and UTEP extended the lead with strong kills from Danika Washington, Lauren Perry, and Uskokovic. Despite FIU challenging a few points, UTEP stayed in control, taking the set 25-16 after powerful blocks from Lovesee and Weaver.

THREE | UTEP took an early lead after exchanging points with FIU, gaining momentum with kills from Weaver, Uskokovic, and Washington. A challenge in UTEP's favor helped them extend the lead to 13-9, and blocks from Uskokovic, Pustahija, Landry Braziel, and Hannah Crowe widened the gap. FIU called multiple timeouts but couldn't stop UTEP's offensive surge. UTEP closed out the set 25-16 with a final block by Weaver and Luvina Oguntimehin, completing the 3-0 sweep. 

UP NEXT        
UTEP faces FIU again on Saturday, September 28 at 9 am MDT. 

 

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