BOCA RATON, Fla. – UTEP Beach Volleyball picked up a gritty 3-2 win over South Florida before falling to No. 15 Florida Atlantic on Friday at The Beach Burrow in Boca Raton. The Miners moved to 11-12 (2-2 Conference USA) on the season with the split.
Dual 1: UTEP 3, USF 2
UTEP edged South Florida in a five-match thriller where four of the five courts went the distance. The Bulls struck first with a win on court two, but UTEP answered quickly as the with a three-set victory on court four. USF took the lead again on court five before the Miners' top duo won in straight sets to tie the dual at 2-2. The decision came down to court three, where UTEP's pairing battled through a third set to secure the dual for the Miners.
Results (order of finish: 2,4,5,1,3*)
1. Madison Hill/Ema Uskokovic (UTEP) def. Samantha Crosby/Aleksandra Stadnik (USF) 21-19, 21-18
2. Audrey Gauthier/Isabella Almeida (USF) def. Paulina Acuna/Marian Ovalle (UTEP) 21-17, 20-22, 15-13
3. Mila Popovic/Krista Paegle (UTEP) def. Morgan Anderson/Sasha Pasloski (USF) 19-21, 21-14, 15-9
4. Lauren Perry/Emma Schubert (UTEP) def. Cornelia Crudu/Alyx Zapatka (USF) 18-21, 21-18, 15-11
5. Mia Scheepens/Bailey Chin (USF) def. Adriana Oporto/Mackenzi Davis (UTEP) 21-15, 21-17, 15-11
6 (EXH). Ryann Genest/Edie Behrens (USF) def. Averie Threet/Katie Call (UTEP) 21-19, 21-13
Dual 2: #15 FAU 5, UTEP 0
The afternoon matchup was a tough test against the nationally ranked Florida Atlantic Sand Owls. The No. 15 team in the country showed its strength, sweeping all five courts in straight sets to hand UTEP a 5-0 defeat.
Results (order of finish: 2,4,1*,5,3)
1. Ashleigh Adams/Marketa Svozilova (FAU) def. Hill/Uskokovic (UTEP) 21-11, 21-11
2. Kate McLaughlin/Julie Honzovicova (FAU) Acuna/Ovalle (UTEP) 21-17, 21-13
3. Klaire VanDeusen/Mia Scanlon (FAU) def. Popovic/Paegle (UTEP) 21-19, 21-17
4. Reese Edwards/Kendall Mignerey (FAU) def. Perry/Schubert (UTEP) 21-16, 21-15
5. Cameron Knifton/Shayna Wolf (FAU) def. Oporto/Davis (UTEP) 21-15, 21-10
6 (EXH). Maddie Sides/Brooklyn Goedhart (FAU) def. Threet/Call (UTEP) 21-15, 21-11
Up Next
The Miners are back in action on Saturday, April 12, facing FGCU at 9 a.m. MT. The top two teams from the weekend will advance to the championship match scheduled for 12 pm MT/2 p.m. ET.
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.
