TUCSON, Ariz. – UTEP Beach Volleyball (9-8, 2-0 Conference USA) concluded play at the Arizona Invitational on Saturday afternoon, falling 4-1 to Arizona (11-6) at Bear Down Beach. However, the duo of Madison Hill and Ema Uskokovic stole the spotlight, going undefeated throughout the tournament and sweeping all three of their matchups. 

Hill and Uskokovic delivered a clutch performance against Arizona, battling through a tight first set before securing a 28-26, 21-19 victory over Kylee Fitzsimmons and Brooke Bluetreich. Their consistency and chemistry on the sand proved to be a bright spot for the Miners all weekend. 

Dual Recap: UA 4, UTEP 1 

Arizona struck first with a win on court four, but UTEP's Hill and Uskokovic responded with a hard-fought victory on court two to even the score. The Wildcats regained control, taking the next three matches, with a court one victory clinching the dual. 

Results (order of finish: 4,2,5,1*,3) 

1) Adri Nieves Papaleo and Kate Phillips (UA) def. Krista Paegle and Paulina Acuna (UTEP) – 21-19, 21-14 

2) Madison Hill and Ema Uskokovic (UTEP) def. Kylee Fitzsimmons and Brooke Bluetreich (UA) – 28-26, 21-19 

3) Ashlyn Zilliken and Madeline Walker (UA) def. Mila Popovic and Marian Ovalle (UTEP) – 21-16, 22-24, 15-9 

4) Annie Kost and Elin Kaiser (UA) def. Lauren Perry and Emma Schubert (UTEP) – 21-17, 21-11 

5) Meghan O'Meara and Brooke Boyko (UA) def. Mackenzi Davis and Reese Rich (UTEP) – 21-14, 21-9 

Up Next 

UTEP will return to Arizona for a shared tournament with Grand Canyon and Arizona State on March 28-29. The Miners are set to face Grand Canyon, South Carolina, and UAB in Phoenix. 

For complete coverage of UTEP Beach Volleyball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at UTEP Beach Volleyball (Facebook), @utepbeachvb (Instagram) and @UTEPBeachVB (X) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.