EL PASO, Texas – UTEP volleyball (11-7, 3-3 MW) returns to Club Memorial on Thursday, Oct. 15, to open a two-match series against New Mexico before traveling to Albuquerque for the rematch on Saturday, Oct. 17.
Thursday's match is set for 6 p.m. MT and will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Night. A mariachi band will greet fans when doors open at 5 p.m., and the first 2,000 fans will receive a themed rally towel. Saturday's contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT at The Pit-Powered by Nusenda in Albuquerque. Both matches will be streamed live on MW+.
SCHEDULE
TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are available starting at $10. Fans can secure their seats through the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office by calling (915) 747-UTEP, emailing
tickets@utep.edu, visiting UTEPMiners.com/Tickets, or in person at 201 Glory Road (Brumbelow Building, UTEP Campus) during business hours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WEEK SEVEN RECAP: NEVADA
UTEP went 0-2 on the road at Nevada last weekend, falling in five sets Thursday before dropping a 3-0 decision Saturday. The Miners erased a 2-1 deficit in Thursday's opener to force a deciding fifth set, with
Lauren Perry recording a career-high seven service aces.
Ema Uskokovic led UTEP with 11 kills, while
Luvina Oguntimehin paced the defense with seven blocks. On Saturday, Oguntimehin led the Miners offensively with nine kills while hitting .615, and
Landry Braziel added a team-high 10 kills.
WEEKLY WINNERS
SEPT. 28 | UTEP middle blocker
Luvina Oguntimehin was named the Mountain West's Old Trapper Women's Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week following a dominant three-match stretch against Arizona and Wyoming. The honor marked the first conference weekly award of Oguntimehin's career and made her the second Miner to earn a Mountain West weekly honor this season. Oguntimehin started all three matches and played all 11 sets during the week, totaling 19 blocks, including five solo and 14 assisted, while averaging 1.73 blocks per set. She recorded 14 blocks across the two-match series at Wyoming, averaging 2.00 blocks per set. The Conroe, Texas, native also delivered offensively, totaling 34 kills while hitting .347 and recording a team-high 46.0 points. Against Wyoming, Oguntimehin tallied 22 kills and hit .385 while producing 31.5 points across the two matches.
SEPT. 7 | UTEP freshman
Mackenzi Davis was named the Mountain West's Old Trapper Women's Volleyball Freshman of the Week following her performance at the Southwest Showdown. Davis becomes the first Miner to earn a conference freshman weekly honor since the 2023 season and just the seventh player in program history to receive a freshman weekly award. The freshman totaled 27 kills, 11 blocks—including eight solo blocks—and 36.5 points across UTEP's three matches. She averaged 1.93 kills per set while hitting .300 for the weekend. Davis saved her best performance for UTEP's five-set victory over UTRGV, recording a career-high 16 kills while hitting .500.
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
Through 18 matches, UTEP has recorded 890 kills while hitting .237 as a team.
Luvina Oguntimehin leads the Miners with 168 kills and a .352 hitting percentage, followed by
Mackenzi Davis with 160 kills. UTEP has hit above .300 as a team three times this season, posting a season-best .359 at Wyoming on Sept. 15, along with marks of .341 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and .336 against UC San Diego.
THREE-HEADED ATTACK
UTEP features three players averaging at least 2.0 kills per set, providing the Miners with multiple offensive options. Oguntimehin leads the group at 2.47 kills per set, followed by Davis at 2.29 and
Ema Uskokovic at 2.03. As a team, UTEP is averaging 12.71 kills per set.
SETTING THE TABLE
The Miners' 6-2 offensive system is directed by senior
Kalia Kohler, who leads the team with 403 assists and averages 5.76 per set. Junior
Shea Bruntmyer has contributed 181 assists at 3.55 per set, while freshman
Caryme Molina has added 116 assists, averaging 2.04 per set. UTEP's season high is 59 assists against Arizona.
SERVING UP PRESSURE
UTEP has recorded 109 service aces this season, with Perry accounting for 41 to lead the team. The Miners posted a season-high 13 aces in their Oct. 8 match at Nevada. UTEP leads the Mountain West in both total service aces and aces per set, averaging 1.56 aces per frame. Perry ranks first in the conference and sixth nationally with 41 aces, while her 0.59 aces per set rank 15th in the NCAA.
DIGGING DEEP
Kohler leads UTEP with 172 digs, while
Lily-Rose Pichon has recorded 154 and Uskokovic has added 150. The Miners have demonstrated their defensive ability throughout the season, highlighted by a season-high 76 digs against Texas State. UTEP will look to maintain that defensive presence against a New Mexico squad led by Camila Canedo, who has recorded 232 digs.
BLOCK PARTY
The Miners have been dominant at the net, totaling 181 blocks to lead the Mountain West and rank 10th nationally. UTEP averages 2.59 blocks per set, good for 35th in the NCAA. Oguntimehin leads the squad with 77 total blocks, including 13 solo blocks and 64 assisted blocks, while Crowe follows with 69. Oguntimehin averages 1.13 blocks per set, and Crowe averages 1.05. UTEP's season high is 15 blocks at Wyoming on Sept. 26.
POINT TAKEN
Oguntimehin leads UTEP with 217 points, averaging 3.19 per set, while Davis ranks second with 190 points at 2.73 per set.
THE FULL STAT SHEET
UTEP holds statistical advantages over its opponents in several key categories, including kills (890-864), assists (815-776), service aces (109-75) and blocks (181-128.5). The Miners are hitting .237 as a team while limiting opponents to a .196 hitting percentage. Opponents hold a slight edge in digs, 945-941, making defensive consistency an important factor as UTEP continues Mountain West play.
TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
UTEP leads the Mountain West in four statistical categories, ranking first in service aces per set at 1.56, total service aces with 109, blocks per set at 2.59 and total blocks with 181.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Among 343 NCAA Division I teams, UTEP ranks inside the top 100 nationally in five statistical categories.
- 10th in total blocks (181)
- 35th in blocks per set (2.59)
- 52nd in team kills (890)
- 85th in service aces (109)
- 89th in hitting percentage (.237)
INDIVIDUAL IMPACT
Perry leads the Mountain West in total service aces with 41, ranking sixth nationally, while her 0.59 aces per set place her 15th in the NCAA. Oguntimehin leads the conference with 77 total blocks, ranking 77th nationally, and sits second in the Mountain West in blocks per set at 1.13. Her .352 hitting percentage ranks third in the conference and 93rd nationally. Crowe ranks third in the Mountain West in both blocks per set (1.05) and total blocks (69).
THE MINERS AT A GLANCE
| Overall: 11-7 |
Home: 4-2
Away: 4-4
Neutral: 3-1 |
3 sets: 4-3
4 sets: 4-2
5 sets: 3-2 |
PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS
UTEP enters its first season as a member of the Mountain West with high expectations after being selected to finish first in the league's 2026 preseason poll.
The Miners received four first-place votes and 84 points in the preseason balloting.
Graduate student outside hitter
Ema Uskokovic was also named to the 2026 Mountain West Preseason Team. Uskokovic returns for her final season after missing the 2025 campaign due to injury. The two-time preseason team selection was an All-Conference USA First Team honoree and AVCA All-Region selection in 2024.
IN THE MINE SHAFT
- The 2026 season marks the 53rd season of UTEP volleyball.
- The Miners' roster features six freshmen, four sophomores, five juniors, two seniors and one sixth-year player.
- Kalia Kohler, Ema Uskokovic, and Hannah Crowe serve as team captains for the 2026 season.
- On Sept. 1, UTEP announced a contract extension for head coach Ben Wallis, while Courtney Johnson was promoted to associate head coach.
- Wallis reached 150 career victories on Sept. 25 after leading the Miners to a 3-0 sweep at Wyoming in UTEP's Mountain West opener.
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO
New Mexico enters the series at 6-10 overall and 4-2 in Mountain West play, ranking third in the conference. The Lobos have recorded 690 kills, 72 service aces and 97.5 blocks while hitting .193 as a team. Mina Stanojevic leads New Mexico with 174 kills, Madeleine Miller has distributed 527 assists, Camila Canedo anchors the back row with 232 digs, and Reagan Miller leads the team with 40 total blocks. Madeleine Miller ranks third in the conference with 8.93 assists per set, while Canedo ranks third in digs per set at 3.93. Reagan Miller's .352 hitting percentage ranks fourth in the league and 94th nationally. Canedo was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week after totaling 45 digs across nine sets in New Mexico's road sweep at UC Davis, averaging 5.00 digs per set.
SERIES HISTORY
- New Mexico leads the all-time series against UTEP, 37-8, including a 19-3 advantage in conference matchups.
- The Lobos have won the last eight meetings between the programs, with the most recent contest coming in 2022, when New Mexico earned a five-set victory.
- UTEP's longest winning streak in the series was five matches from 1975-77, while New Mexico recorded a 24-match winning streak from 1980-97.
- Head coach Ben Wallis is 0-1 against the Lobos since taking over the Miners in 2019.
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