EL PASO, Texas –
¡Qué noche en Club Memorial! UTEP Volleyball celebrated Hispanic Heritage Night in winning fashion Thursday, sweeping New Mexico, 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-22).
The Miners improved to 12-7 overall, while the Lobos fell to 6-11, as both teams moved to 4-3 in conference play.
MATCH SUMMARY
UTEP set the tone early and never let up, battling through the opening set before taking complete control in the second. New Mexico built an early advantage in the third, but the Miners stormed back down the stretch to seal the straight-set victory
LEADERBOARD
UTEP brought plenty of fuego offensively, hitting .270 with 45 kills while holding the Lobos to a .065 clip and 27 kills. The Miners also owned the net with an 11-2 advantage in team blocks.
Hannah Crowe powered the attack with a match-high 13.5 points behind seven kills and five block assists.
Landry Braziel paced UTEP with 12 kills at a .346 clip, while
Ema Uskokovic added eight kills and
Luvina Oguntimehin chipped in seven. Setters
Kalia Kohler and
Shea Bruntmyer directed the offense with 21 and 16 assists, respectively, while
Lily-Rose Pichon anchored the back row with a match-high 15 digs.
SET-BY-SET
UNO | The opening frame was a back-and-forth
batalla, featuring 14 ties and six lead changes. New Mexico built a 14-12 edge before UTEP answered with three straight points to go back in front, 15-14. Neither side could create much separation until the Miners broke a 19-19 deadlock behind an Oguntimehin kill and Perry service ace for a 21-19 cushion. From there, the Miners said
vámonos, taking care of business down the stretch before a New Mexico setting error sealed the 25-22 win.
Así se hace, Miners.
DOS | Set two was
todo Miners, de principio a fin. After New Mexico scored the opening point, UTEP quickly grabbed control and turned a 6-4 advantage into a commanding 13-5 lead behind a 7-1 run. Crowe fueled the surge with two kills, two service aces and two blocks as the Miners left the Lobos searching for answers. UTEP only widened the gap from there, racing ahead 19-8 before cruising to a 25-14 victory.
Sin problema, puro dominio.
TRES | New Mexico tried to spoil the
fiesta in the third, racing out to a 12-6 advantage and eventually stretching the margin to 17-11.
Pero espérate, the Miners had other plans. UTEP battled back
poco a poco, using a 6-1 push to pull within 18-17 before Davis took over down the stretch. The Lobos stayed within striking distance at 22-21, but back-to-back Braziel kills brought up match point before Oguntimehin delivered the final swing for the 25-22 victory.
Y con eso, ¡buenas noches, Lobos! Sweep secured.
"We were fragile all week because we haven't been playing the way we want to, but I felt confident in our staff and players," head coach
Ben Wallis said. "I told them the only way out of that fragile state is to go out there and punch someone in the mouth, and we did that right away, both offensively and defensively. For long stretches, we were in control. We had a lot of pieces working tonight, and the mindset shifted from worrying about not playing well to taking ownership and making plays. We lost some intensity early in the third set, but we responded and finished strong. The mindset changes when you go out there and do your job well and have more than one person carrying the load."
A CONTINUACIÓN
UTEP will now head to Albuquerque for game two of the series with the Lobos on Saturday, Oct. 17 with first serve set for 7pm MT. The match will be streamed live on MW+.
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