SACRAMENTO, Calif. – UTEP Volleyball wrangled UC Davis, 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 26-24), Sunday afternoon at Colberg Court to close out the Sacramento State Invitational. The Miners finished the weekend undefeated (3-0) and were crowned the tournament champions. 

Fuka Sekita was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament, while Torrance Lovesee and Sara Pustahija earned spots on the All-Tournament Team for their standout performances. 

MATCH SUMMARY

After dropping the opening set 25–23 despite a late rally, the Miners stormed back with a dominant 25–18 win in Set 2. UTEP carried that momentum into the third set, edging out the Aggies 25–22. The fourth set was a battle, but the Miners came up clutch in extra points, as Lovesee delivered back-to-back kills to secure the 26–24 win and close out the match. With the victory, UTEP leaves Sacramento unbeaten and brimming with confidence. 

LEADERBOARD 

• Four Miners registered double-digit kills in the win. Pustahija led the way with 11, while Lovesee, Landry Braziel, and Danika Washington each added 10.  
• Washington also paced the Miners in efficiency with a .444 hitting percentage (10-2-18), followed by Pustahija at .320 (11-3-25). 
• Kalia Kohler (26) and Mattie Gantt (18) combined for 44 assists, directing the UTEP offense to a .267 hitting clip.  
• Sekita contributed two service aces and a team-high 10 digs 
• Kaya Weaver anchored the defense at the net with a match-best six blocks.  
• Pustahija also led the team in points with 13.0. 

NOTABLES 

• Including today's win, UTEP has started a season 3-0 on 12 occasions. The last came in 2023, when the Miners swept the Southeastern Showdown hosted by Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond, La. 
• Including this year's Sacramento State Invitational, UTEP has walked away undefeated in 37 tournaments throughout program history. 

SET BY SET

ONE | UTEP battled back-and-forth with UC Davis in the opening set, erasing an early six-point deficit behind kills from Lovesee, Washington, and Luvina Oguntimehin. The Miners clawed all the way back to tie things at 23–23 after a late surge that featured timely blocks from Washington and Weaver. Despite the push, the Aggies closed out the set 25–23 to take a 1–0 lead in the match. 

TWO | UTEP stormed out to a fast start in the second set, sparked by back-to-back points from Pustahija and a string of UC Davis errors. The Miners never looked back, building as much as an eight-point lead behind strong swings from Lovesee, Washington, and Oguntimehin, while also racking up key blocks at the net. UTEP closed the set with kills from Braziel and Washington to secure the 25–18 win, evening the match at 1–1. 

THREE | UTEP carried its momentum into the third set, jumping out to a 5–1 lead with early kills from Pustahija, Braziel, and Weaver. The Aggies rallied to tie things up midway through, but the Miners kept answering behind Washington and Oguntimehin. In a tense finish, UTEP came up clutch with a block from Weaver and Lovesee before Braziel sealed it with a kill for the 25–22 win, giving the Miners a 2–1 lead in the match. 

FOUR | The fourth set was a tug-of-war from start to finish, with neither team able to pull away. UTEP got big swings from Pustahija and Oguntimehin early, while Weaver and Braziel provided monster blocks and kills to keep the Miners in striking distance. Deadlocked at 24–24, Lovesee delivered back-to-back kills to slam the door, giving UTEP the 26–24 win and a 3–1 match victory over UC Davis. 

UP NEXT

UTEP will travel to Edinburg, Texas, for the 2nd annual Southwest Showdown hosted by UTRGV from Sept. 4–6. The four-team field includes UTEP, UTRGV, Texas A&M–Corpus Christi, and Texas State. The annual tournament will feature these four programs each season, with hosting duties rotating among the schools. 

Join the 915 Campaign    
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To join the "915 Campaign" and become a difference maker for UTEP Athletics, please click here.    

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