HOUSTON, Texas – UTEP Beach Volleyball wrapped up its opening weekend with a strong showing on the second day of the Third Coast College Classic, going 2-1 to finish the weekend with a 3-2 overall record. The Miners secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over McNeese State, faced a tough 5-0 loss to nationally ranked No. 15 Texas, and closed out the day with a dominant 5-0 sweep over Sam Houston.
Match Recaps
UTEP 3, McNeese State 2
The Miners started the day with a tight battle against McNeese State, ultimately pulling out a 3-2 victory. The match began with McNeese taking the first point on Court 4, followed by UTEP responding with wins on Court 5 and Court 3 to take a 2-1 lead. UTEP clinched the match on Court 1 in straight sets before McNeese closed out the three-set win on Court 2.
Results (order of finish: 4,5,3,1*,2)
1) UTEP (Paegle, Krista/Acuna, Paulina) def. McNeese (Russell, Reese/Papazoglou, Stavroula) - 21-15, 21-14
2) McNeese (Osgood, Kendall/Lansing, Rylee) def. UTEP (Uskokovic, Ema/Hill, Madison) - 18-21, 21-19, 15-12
3) UTEP (Ovalle, Marian/Schubert, Emma) def. McNeese (McGee, Jackie/Moore, Kenzie) - 21-10, 21-23, 15-11
4) McNeese (Durant, Bethanie/Malone, McKenna) def. UTEP (Perry, Lauren/Rich, Reese) - 21-15, 25-23
5) UTEP (Popovic, Mila/Llewellyn, Kennedy) def. McNeese (Chuong, Luciana/Tupper, Harlee) - 21-19, 21-15
6 (exh): UTEP (Oporto, Adriana/Davis, Mackenzi) def. McNeese (Savoie, Jolie/Gohmann, Kaylene) - 21-9, 21-13
#15 Texas 5, UTEP 0
In their second match of the day, the Miners faced a formidable opponent in No. 15 Texas, falling 5-0. The Longhorns set the tone early with wins on Court 5 and Court 4, quickly taking a 2-0 lead. Texas then clinched the match on Court 3, with subsequent victories on Courts 1 and 2 completing the sweep.
Results (order of finish: 5,4,3*,1,2)
1) Texas (Robertson, Emma Grace/Hashman, Katie) def. UTEP (Paegle/Acuna) - 21-16, 21-14
2) Texas (Zolnercikova, Karin/Parmelly, Maddison) def. UTEP (Hill/Uskokovic) - 21-14, 21-18
3) Texas (Patton, Ava/Wickley, Kylie) def. UTEP (Ovalle/Schubert) - 21-15, 21-11
4) Texas (Buter, Macey/Sonneville, Noa) def. UTEP (Popovic/Llewellyn) - 21-19, 21-15
5) Texas (Patton, Carys/Johnson, Vivian) def. UTEP (Oporto/Davis) - 21-8, 21-9
6 (exh): Texas (Ogden, Hannah/Wright, Presley) def. UTEP (Rich/Perry) - 21-17, 21-17
UTEP 5, Sam Houston 0
The Miners bounced back in dominant fashion against Sam Houston, sweeping their final match of the tournament. UTEP quickly established control with wins on Courts 4 and 5, followed by straight-set victories on Courts 3 and 2 to seal the sweep. The match concluded with a thrilling three-set victory on Court 1 to cap off the perfect performance.
Results (order of finish: 4,5,3*,2,1)
1) UTEP (Paegle/Acuna) def. SHSU (Baker, Hannah/Panekova, Michaela) - 21-9, 20-22, 15-9
2) UTEP (Uskokovic/Hill) def. SHSU (Morvant, Mackenzie/Dodson, Talan) - 21-15, 21-14
3) UTEP (Ovalle/Schubert) def. SHSU (Clayton, Abby/Folse, Ella) - 21-8, 21-9
4) UTEP (Popovic/Llewellyn) def. SHSU (Wood, Bella/Miller, Kenedi) - 21-13, 21-9
5) UTEP (Oporto/Davis) def. SHSU (Washington, Lylah/Terry, Audrey) - 21-12, 21-13
From the Coach
"Another good day for UTEP Beach," said head coach Daniel Foo. "We were able to beat a tough McNeese team and then had to turn around and play No. 15 Texas. We learned a lot about ourselves, and even though we went 0-5, we competed with a top-tier program. Our last match of the day was against a new program, SHSU, and we were able to win 5-0. Overall, it was a good weekend, but we left a win out there, which always hurts. We will get better and be ready for next weekend."
Up Next
The Miners will head to Kingsville, Texas, for the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelina Beach Showdown from Feb. 28 - March 1. They will face Tarleton State, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Colorado Mesa, and Wayland Baptist.
Give a gift to UTEP Beach Volleyball by donating to the Point Miners Club.
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