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(RV) UTEP Volleyball Closes Regular Season at Home vs. FIU

11/13/2025 5:30:00 PM

EL PASO, Texas – (RV) UTEP Volleyball (23-3, 13-1 Conference USA) returns to Club Memorial to close out the regular season with a two-match home series against FIU (18-9, 12-2 CUSA) on Nov. 14-15. The Miners welcome the Panthers to the Sun City for a Friday matchup at 6 p.m. (Hero's Night) followed by Saturday's 1 p.m. Senior Day finale. Both matches will stream live on ESPN+.

Prior to Saturday's match, UTEP will recognize the FIU seniors, with the Miners' Senior Day ceremony to follow after the match.

SCHEDULE 
 
 DATE  TIME  MATCHUP  WATCH  LIVE STATS
Fri. Nov. 14
Sat. Nov. 15		 6 PM
1 PM		 UTEP vs. FIU
UTEP vs. FIU		 ESPN+
ESPN+		 StatBroadcast
StatBroadcast
^ All Times Mountain Standard

LAST TIME OUT     
UTEP extended its dominant stretch with back-to-back wins at Kennesaw State, including a 3-1 victory Friday night behind a career-high 22 kills from Torrance Lovesee. The Miners captured the first two sets, including a 29-27 thriller in the second, before closing out the match with a decisive 25-19 win. The victory marked UTEP's 10th road win—a single-season program record—improving the Miners to 22-3 (12-1 CUSA).
UTEP completed the sweep of the weekend on Saturday with a 3-0 victory (25-18, 25-23, 25-21). With the win, the Miners moved to 23-3 overall and 13-1 in CUSA play, matching the program's best conference record first set in 1984. A strong start, balanced attack, and steady defense carried UTEP through all three sets as the Miners closed their road schedule in dominant fashion.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION     
UTEP continues to gain national attention, earning 35 votes in the latest AVCA/Taraflex Coaches Poll this week (Nov. 10). The Miners also achieved an RPI of 19.

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER     
UTEP enters the week hitting an impressive .300, with three active Miners at or above the .300 mark (minimum 150 kills). Danika Washington leads the group at .369 with 156 kills, followed by Landry Braziel at .308 with 179 kills.

UTEP's best hitting performance of the year came against Oral Roberts with a .459 efficiency. The Miners have hit .300-or-better 13 times, including two .400+ matches (Oral Roberts .459; NM State .400).

BLOCK PARTY     
UTEP has totaled 216.0 blocks this season and has recorded double-digit blocks 11 times, highlighted by a season-high 14 against Louisiana Tech. The Miners hold a 216–165 blocking advantage over opponents. Washington leads the defense at the net with a team-best 94.0 total blocks.

BALANCED ATTACK     
Three active Miners with at least 150 kills are averaging 2.0+ kills per set: Lovesee and Pustahija have started all 26 matches and have played every set (88), each surpassing the 200-kill mark. As a team, UTEP averages 13.82 kills per set.
 
CHAMPS CHECKED       
Four of UTEP's 23 victories this season have come against defending conference champions and 2024 NCAA Tournament teams: Sacramento State (Big Sky), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Southland), Texas State (Sun Belt), Western Kentucky (CUSA). The Miners also added a win over Arizona on Sept. 16, the reigning NIVC champion.       

NEW RECORD WHO DIS?       
Sophomore outside hitter Landry Braziel delivered a record-breaking performance in UTEP's sweep of Oral Roberts on Sept. 13 to close out the Sun City Classic. Braziel hit .846 with 11 kills on 13 error-free swings, marking the best hitting percentage in program history for a three-set match with at least 10 kills.    

1K KILL CLUB     
Torrance Lovesee became the 14th Miner to eclipse 1,000 career kills at UTEP. She reached the milestone with a 17-kill performance against Arizona and now stands at 1,201 career kills, ranking fifth in program history.    

HEAVY HITTERS     
UTEP posted a season-high 65 kills against Kennesaw State—the most by any Miner team in a four-set match this year. The team's best three-set kill total (47) came against Western Kentucky. Two Miners have surpassed 200 kills on the season:
  • Lovesee – 290 kills
  • Pustahija – 224 kills
Lovesee was the first Miner to hit the 200-kill mark this season.
 
HOT START IN CONFERENCE   
UTEP's 13-1 Conference USA record marks just the second time in program history the Miners have dropped only one league match through 14 contests, matching the historic 1984 season (13-1, OCAC).

HISTORY AGAINST POWER CONFERENCES       
UTEP has now defeated a Power Conference opponent in three consecutive seasons, matching the longest such streak in program history (1983–85). The Miners have earned notable wins over Iowa State (2024), Washington and Clemson (2023), and Northwestern and Arizona (2021). Prior to head coach Ben Wallis's arrival in 2019, UTEP had not beaten a Power 5 opponent since 2005.       
 
IN THE CUSA SPOTLIGHT           
  • Lovesee was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week in Week 11. She delivered 37 kills (5.29 k/s) while hitting .400 in the weekend sweep at Kennesaw State. Her 22 kills Friday set a new career high. This is her fourth career CUSA weekly honor.
  • The Miners also claimed Conference USA Co-Setter of the Week honors in Week 11 behind the combined efforts of Kalia Kohler and Mattie Gantt, who orchestrated UTEP's 6-2 offense with precision. The duo totaled 84 assists (12 per set) across the two matches, guiding the Miners to a .298 team hitting percentage while adding a combined 29 digs. Kohler finished the weekend with 48 assists and 13 digs, while Gantt added 36 assists and 16 digs. The recognition marks Kohler's 12th career CUSA weekly honor and Gantt's eighth.
  • Washington was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week in Week 10 after an exceptional showing against Missouri State. Washington posted 21 kills on 32 error-free swings for an incredible .656 hitting percentage, while adding a team-high 10 blocks. She averaged 2.63 kills, 1.25 blocks, and 3.25 points per set across the series.
  • Weaver was named Conference USA Co-Defensive Player of the Week in Week 5 after leading the Miners to a 2-0 start in league play. Weaver anchored the net with 12 blocks (1.71/set), including three solo, in back-to-back wins at Sam Houston. She also chipped in four digs and an ace while contributing offensively with 19 kills (2.71/set) on a .300 hitting percentage, showcasing a two-way impact in UTEP's undefeated weekend.     
  • Setter Kalia Kohler was named CUSA Setter of the Week in Week 2. The honor is her 11th career weekly award, setting the program record for the most all-time. Kohler also becomes just the fifth Miner setter to earn a solo weekly honor from the conference.         
  • Setter Duo Honored: Mattie Gantt and Kalia Kohler earned the first 2025 C-USA Co-Setter of the Week award. The pair combined for 110 assists over 10 sets in Sacramento, while also adding digs, aces, and kills to fuel the Miners' .310 team hitting percentage. This marks the sixth career co-award for the duo.          
  • Weaver Headlines Preseason Team: Middle blocker Kaya Weaver was named the 2025 Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year, leading a league-best four UTEP honorees on the Preseason All-CUSA Team. She was joined by Ema Uskokovic, Sara Pustahija, and Danika Washington. The Miners were picked second in the preseason poll, earning four first-place votes.        
MINER RANKINGS     
UTEP sits among the nation's top statistical performers:
  • 5th – Match W-L percentage (.885) – leads CUSA
  • 7th – Hitting percentage (.300) – 2nd in CUSA
  • 19th – Opponent hitting percentage (.167) – leads CUSA
  • 23rd – Assists per set (12.90) – 2nd in CUSA
  • 24th – Kills per set (13.82) – 2nd in CUSA
  • 30th – Aces per set (1.82)
Individually, Washington ranks 2nd in CUSA in hitting percentage (.369), 5th in total blocks (93), and 6th in blocks per set (1.06). Libero Fuka Sekita ranks 7th in the conference with 326 digs.

SERIES HISTORY: UTEP VS. FIU 
UTEP leads the all-time series 10-3 (24-16 in sets) and has won seven straight over the Panthers. The Miners hold a 5-1 advantage in matches played in El Paso.

BY THE NUMBERS 
  • Sets Played: UTEP – 88 (26 matches); FIU – 100 (27 matches) 
  • Conference Records: UTEP (13-1, 1st), FIU (12-2, 3rd) 
  • National RPI: UTEP – 19, FIU – 89
  • AVCA Coaches Poll: UTEP is receiving 35 votes (Nov. 10) 
SCOUTING FIU  
  • FIU enters the week 18-9 overall and 12-2 in CUSA, riding a six-match win streak and a 10-match conference win streak.
  • The Panthers lead CUSA in digs per set (14.67) and total attempts per set (35.11).
  • Offensively, Kira Givans powers the FIU attack, ranking third in CUSA in kills per set (3.55) and points per set (4.00), while also ranking among the league's leaders in total attempts (922), total kills (344), and total points (388.0).
  • Defensively, libero Mandi Marioka leads CUSA with 4.43 digs per set (53rd NCAA) and ranks third in the league with 443 digs (39th NCAA).
  • Setter Savannah Cook directs the offense with a league-best 10.11 assists per set (34th NCAA) and ranks second in CUSA with 890 total assists (49th NCAA).
  • As a team, FIU hits .241, recording six .300+ matches this season with a high of .330 against Bryant.

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