SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Buzz silenced. With a relentless attack and strong net play, UTEP Volleyball stormed past Sacramento State in a 3-0 sweep (25-17, 25-16, 25-17) to open the 2025 season on Colberg Court at The Nest. The Miners kept the Hornets off rhythm, setting the tone for a statement-making start to the year. 

MATCH SUMMARY          
The Miners set the tone early with aggressive serving and a strong presence at the net, jumping out to a quick lead in the first frame and never looking back. The second set highlighted their balance on both sides of the ball, mixing in steady offense with timely blocks and aces to keep the Hornets off rhythm. After falling behind briefly in the third, UTEP responded with a decisive run fueled by clean execution and defensive pressure, closing out the sweep in dominant fashion. 

LEADERBOARD             

• Torrance Lovesee led the way for UTEP with a match-high 14 kills on 25 swings, hitting an efficient .520  
• At the service line, Kalia Kohler kept the Hornets off balance with a match-best four aces. 
• Directing the offense, Mattie Gantt and Kohler evenly split setting duties with 15 assists apiece, guiding UTEP to a strong .368 team hitting percentage.  
• Gantt also notched a double-double, pairing her 15 assists with a match-high 13 digs. Fuka Sekita added 12 digs to bolster the back-row defense. 
• At the net, Lovesee, Sara Pustahija, and Danika Washington each recorded two blocks to anchor the front line. 
• Lovesee closed out the night with a match-high 16 points to lead all scorers. 

SPLIT BOX             
UTEP held the all-around statistical advantage in kills (45-29) and service aces (6-3). Both teams recorded 5 blocks each. UTEP registered a .368 hitting percentage and held Sac State to a .121 H%.   

NOTABLES

• With the sweep over Sacramento State, UTEP improves to 27-25 all-time in season-opening matches.  
• Fourteen of those wins, including today's, have come via sweep, with the last coming in 2011 against Southern.  
• UTEP's most recent season-opening victory came in 2023 versus (RV) Washington.  

SET-BY-SET          
ONE | UTEP came out firing in the opening set against Sacramento State, racing to a 10-4 lead behind a serving run from Kohler, who delivered two aces early, and a dominant stretch from Lovesee with five straight kills. The Miners kept the momentum rolling with kills from Luvina Oguntimehin and Gantt, plus another Kohler ace, forcing the Hornets into multiple timeouts. UTEP's defense at the net also made an impact with key blocks from Lovesee, Washington, Pustahija, and Kaya Weaver that stretched the lead to 21-12. Sacramento State tried to chip away late, but Oguntimehin sealed the set at 25-17 with her third kill of the frame, giving the Miners a strong 1-0 start in the match. 

TWO | UTEP kept its foot on the gas in the second set, rolling past Sacramento State 25-16 to go up 2-0 in the match. The Miners spread the offense early with kills from Pustahija, Lovesee, Washington, and Landry Braziel, while Washington and Lovesee teamed up for a key block to extend the lead. Lovesee continued her hot start with multiple kills and an ace, and Pustahija added a block and two more kills to keep momentum on UTEP's side. Behind late-set aces from Kohler and steady defensive pressure at the net, the Miners closed out the Hornets on back-to-back attack errors, securing the 25-16 win. 

THREE | After a back-and-forth start, UTEP rallied from a three-point deficit to take control and finish off Sacramento State 25-17, sweeping the match 3-0. Pustahija, Lovesee, and Gantt fueled the comeback with consecutive kills that erased the Hornets' lead, before Washington and Oguntimehin sparked a surge at the net. Weaver delivered back-to-back kills to extend the cushion to 19-15, and the Miners never looked back. Pustahija and Weaver closed the door with late kills, while multiple Sacramento State errors sealed the set and the sweep for UTEP. 

UP NEXT              
UTEP will go up against Pepperdine on day two of the Sacramento State Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 5pm MDT.    

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