UTEP Athletics

Lovesee’s Career Night Lifts Miners Past Kennesaw State, 3-1

11/7/2025 8:30:00 PM

Box Score KENNESAW, Ga. – (RV) UTEP volleyball continued its dominant run as Torrance Lovesee powered the Miners to a 3-1 victory over Kennesaw State on Friday night in VyStar Arena. Lovesee led all players with a career-high 22 kills to help UTEP secure its 10th road win of the season—a program record.

With the win, the Miners improve to 22-3 overall and 12-1 in Conference USA play, while the Owls fall to 16-7 and 10-3 in league action.

MATCH SUMMARY
The Miners set the tone early with a 25-21 win in the opening frame. The second set turned into a back-and-forth thriller, as UTEP erased a mid-set deficit and outlasted the Owls in extra points, 29-27, to take a two-set lead. Kennesaw State managed to stay alive with a narrow 27-25 win in the third, but the Miners responded in dominant fashion, racing out to a 7-0 start and never looking back in a decisive 25-19 finish.

LEADERBOARD

UTEP's offense was firing on all cylinders, led by Torrance Lovesee, who delivered a career-high 22 kills on an efficient .457 hitting clip to pace all players. Sara Pustahija added 14 kills.
Setters Kalia Kohler (28 assists) and Mattie Gantt (22 assists) directed the attack seamlessly, combining for 40 assists to keep UTEP in rhythm throughout the night.
At the service line, Alexis Massey and Hannah Crowe each recorded back-to-back aces.
Fuka Sekita anchored the back row with a team-best 14 digs. Lovesee added 10 digs to notch her third double-double of the season.
Danika Washington led the way at the net with seven blocks.
Lovesee finished with a match-high 22.5 points.

SPLIT BOX
Statistically, UTEP held the advantage in kills (65-58) and assists (62-55), while Kennesaw State edged out the Miners in aces (9-7), digs (52-51), and blocks (10-9). The Miners' efficiency proved decisive, as they posted a .311 hitting percentage while holding the Owls to .224.

NOTABLES

Torrance Lovesee recorded a career-high 22 kills and led the match with 22.5 points.
UTEP claimed its 10th road victory of the season, setting a new program record.

SET-BY-SET
ONE | UTEP opened the night with commanding energy, jumping out to a 9-5 lead behind a balanced attack from Torrance Lovesee, Landry Braziel, and Hannah Crowe. The Miners kept Kennesaw State off balance with aggressive serving, including back-to-back aces from Crowe that stretched the advantage to 12-7. Although the Owls battled back to tie the set at 15-all, UTEP steadied behind Lovesee's hot hand and a late offensive push that forced KSU into errors. Mattie Gantt delivered a key kill to set up set point, and Kalia Kohler sealed the frame with an ace, securing a 25-21 win for the Miners.

TWO | The second set turned into a thriller, with both sides trading momentum through long rallies and clutch swings. Sara Pustahija and Lovesee fueled the offense early, while Luvina Oguntimehin and the UTEP block unit provided key points at the net. Kennesaw State surged ahead midway through, but UTEP mounted an electric comeback behind strong serving from Alexis Massey and timely kills from Braziel and Oguntimehin. The Miners erased a four-point deficit to eventually push the set past 25 points, and Lovesee caught fire down the stretch—hammering four late kills before Washington and Braziel sealed it with a block to take the marathon 29-27 win.

THREE | Momentum stayed tight in the third set as Kennesaw State refused to go quietly. UTEP built a comfortable 15-11 lead with a dominant defensive presence from Danika Washington and smart swings from Lovesee and Pustahija. However, a mid-set rally by the Owls erased the cushion, tying the score repeatedly in the closing points. Despite late kills from Washington and Lovesee, KSU capitalized on a few Miner miscues to take the extended frame 27-25 and force a fourth set.

FOUR | UTEP wasted no time reclaiming control, opening the fourth with a 7-0 run highlighted by kills from Pustahija, Lovesee, and Oguntimehin, plus a solo block from Washington. Though Kennesaw State clawed back to even the score at 8-all, the Miners quickly responded with another surge fueled by dominant net play. Washington's blocking and Lovesee's relentless attacking paced UTEP as they pulled away once more, closing out the match with a decisive 25-19 victory. Lovesee fittingly ended the night with her final kill to cap a statement road win.

UP NEXT
The Miners and Owls will face off again on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 11 a.m. MT/1 p.m. ET in the series finale. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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