PHOENIX, Ariz. – UTEP Beach Volleyball secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over South Carolina on Friday afternoon after falling 5-0 to No. 13 Grand Canyon earlier in the day at the GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium.
Dual 1: #13 GCU 5, UTEP 0
The Miners (10-9) opened the day against a tough Grand Canyon squad. The Lopes struck first with a win on court four before UTEP's No. 2 pair pushed their match to three sets but ultimately fell 15-13 in the decisive frame. GCU secured the dual victory with a clinching win on court three, followed by another win on court five. The Lopes completed the sweep after earning a 2-1 victory on the top court.
Results (order of finish: 4,2,3*,5,4)
1. Katie Keefe/Adrianna Ferro (GCU) def.
Madison Hill/
Ema Uskokovic (UTEP) 14-21, 21-10, 15-12
2. Rhea Kohl/Ines Piret (GCU) def.
Krista Paegle/Paulina Anuca (UTEP) 18-21, 23-21, 15-13
3. Becca Drake/Jessica Drake (GCU) def.
Mila Popovic/
Marian Ovalle (UTEP) 21-18, 21-18
4. Karynn Garrow/Sophia Hladyniuk (GCU) def.
Lauren Perry/EmmaSchubert (UTEP) 21-16, 21-17
5. Madi Bogle/Regan Holmer (GCU) def.
Adriana Oporto/
Mackenzi Davis (UTEP) 21-19, 21-16
Dual 2: UTEP 3, SC 2
UTEP rebounded in its second match of the day, coming out strong against South Carolina. The Miners wasted no time, striking first with a win on court four. They extended their lead with a hard-fought three-set victory on court two before clinching the dual in straight sets on court five. The Gamecocks responded with a win on court one and closed out the match by taking court three in three sets, but UTEP had already secured the 3-2 victory.
Results (order of finish: 4,2,5*,1,3)
1. Jolie Crandford/Julia Waugh (SC) def. Hill/Uskokovic (UTEP) 21-13, 21-12
2. Acuna/Ovalle (UTEP) def. Riley Whitesides/Rachel Hartmann (SC) 21-19, 18-21, 15-12
3. VB Trost/Morgan Downs (SC) def. Popovic/Paegle (UTEP) 16-21, 21-12, 16-14
4. Perry/Schubert (UTEP) def. Sadie Nelson/Juju Quintero (SC) 21-19, 21-18
5. Oporto/Davis (UTEP) def. Abigail Lagemann/Kristen Schenck (SC) 21-16, 21-16
"Today was a challenging day for us," junior
Paulina Acuna said. "We took it as a test, and in some moments we had struggles, but we kept fighting and battled to a great win."
Up Next
UTEP continues its road trip on Saturday, March 29, with a Conference USA showdown against UAB at 9 a.m. in Phoenix. The Miners will then travel to Tempe for a marquee matchup against No. 12 Arizona State at 12 p.m. MT.
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.
