EL PASO, Texas – UTEP Volleyball returns to Club Memorial this weekend to host Air Force in a two-match Mountain West series on Thursday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 24. First serve is set for 6 p.m. Thursday and 1 p.m. Saturday, with both matches streaming 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 EIGHT RECAP: NEW MEXICO
UTEP Volleyball split its two-match series against New Mexico in Week Eight, sweeping the Lobos 3-0 at Club Memorial on Hispanic Heritage Night before falling 3-1 in Albuquerque. The Miners dominated the opener, hitting .270 and outblocking New Mexico 11-2, with
Landry Braziel leading the attack with 12 kills and
Hannah Crowe adding 13.5 points. UTEP battled through four competitive sets in the rematch, finishing with 58 kills and a .219 hitting percentage.
Luvina Oguntimehin led the way with 14 kills on .458 hitting, while
Ema Uskokovic and Braziel contributed 12 kills apiece.
WEEKLY WINNERS
SEP. 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.
SEP. 7 | UTEP RS-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 20 matches, UTEP has recorded 993 kills while hitting .237 as a team.
Luvina Oguntimehin leads the Miners with 189 kills and a .360 hitting percentage, followed by
Mackenzi Davis with 176 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 2.52 kills per set, followed by Davis at 2.29 and
Ema Uskokovic at 2.11. As a team, UTEP is averaging 12.90 kills per set.
SETTING THE TABLE
The Miners' 6-2 offensive system is directed by senior
Kalia Kohler, who leads the team with 451 assists and averages 5.86 per set. Junior
Shea Bruntmyer has contributed 218 assists at 3.76 per set, while freshman
Caryme Molina has added 116 assists, averaging 1.87 per set. UTEP's season high is 59 assists against Arizona.
SERVING UP PRESSURE
UTEP has recorded 119 service aces this season, with
Lauren Perry accounting for 44 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 1.55 aces per frame. Perry ranks first in the conference and seventh nationally with 44 aces, while her league-leading 0.57 aces per set rank 18th in the NCAA.
DIGGING DEEP
Kohler leads UTEP with 191 digs, while
Lily-Rose Pichon has recorded 182 and Uskokovic has added 168. The Miners have demonstrated their defensive ability throughout the season, highlighted by a season-high 76 digs against Texas State.
BLOCK PARTY
The Miners have been dominant at the net, totaling 199 blocks to lead the Mountain West and rank 10th nationally. UTEP averages 2.58 blocks per set, good for 35th in the NCAA. Oguntimehin leads the squad with 81 total blocks, including 13 solo blocks and 68 assisted blocks. Oguntimehin averages 1.08 blocks per set, and Crowe averages 1.07 UTEP's season high is 15 blocks at Wyoming on Sept. 26.
POINT TAKEN
Oguntimehin leads UTEP with 240 points, averaging 3.20 per set, while Davis ranks second with 210.5 points at 2.73 per set.
THE FULL STAT SHEET
UTEP holds statistical advantages over its opponents in several key categories, including kills (993-945), assists (915-852), service aces (119-80) and blocks (199-136.5). The Miners are hitting .237 as a team while limiting opponents to a .194 hitting percentage. Opponents hold a slight edge in digs, 1052-1012, making defensive consistency an important factor as UTEP continues Mountain West play.
TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
UTEP leads the Mountain West in seven statistical categories, ranking first in service aces per set (1.55), assists per set (11.88), blocks per set (2.58), hitting percentage (0.237), team assists (915), team service aces (119), and team total blocks (199.0).
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Among 343 NCAA Division I teams, UTEP ranks inside the top 100 nationally in six statistical categories:
- 10th in total blocks (199.0)
- 35th in blocks per set (2.58)
- 59th in kills (994)
- 62nd in assists (915)
- 82nd in hitting percentage (0.237)
- 88th in service aces (119)
INDIVIDUAL IMPACT
Lauren Perry leads the conference in service aces with 44, ranking seventh nationally, and service aces per set at 0.57, which ranks 18th in the NCAA.
Luvina Oguntimehin ranks second in the Mountain West in three categories, recording 81 total blocks (68th nationally), a .360 hitting percentage (78th nationally) and 1.08 blocks per set.
Hannah Crowe also ranks among the conference's top blockers, sitting third in both total blocks with 78 and blocks per set at 1.07.
MINERS AT A GLANCE
| Overall: 12-8 |
Home: 5-2
Away: 4-5
Neutral: 3-1 |
3 sets: 5-3
4 sets: 4-3
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, three 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 AIR FORCE
Air Force enters the matchup at 7-12 overall and 3-5 in Mountain West play, sitting eighth in the conference standings. The Falcons excel in volume and defensive effort, leading the MW in team attacks per set (38.72), which ranks second nationally, and digs per set (15.91), which ranks 23rd in the NCAA. Air Force also ranks second in the conference in total team attacks (2,672), good for 77th nationally, and leads the league in total digs with 1,098, ranking 85th in the country. Alysa Walker headlines the Falcons' offense, leading the MW in attacks per set (11.75), ranking eighth nationally, kills per set (4.21), ranking 28th, and points per set (4.48), ranking 53rd. Grace Fiaseu provides another offensive and defensive presence, ranking third in the conference in hitting percentage (.343), fourth in blocks per set (1.04) and fifth in total blocks (72). Defensively, Ella Vogel leads the MW in digs per set (4.11), ranking 86th nationally, and sits third in the conference with 271 total digs.
SERIES HISTORY
- UTEP leads the all-time series against Air Force 4-1 entering the sixth meeting between the programs, holding a 12-2 advantage in sets.
- The Miners are undefeated against the Falcons in El Paso at 2-0 and hold a 2-0 record in meetings as conference opponents dating back to 1997.
- The programs first met in 1982, splitting the season series 1-1.
- UTEP has won three consecutive meetings, all by sweep, including the most recent matchup in 2024 in El Paso.
- Head coach Ben Wallis is 1-0 against Air Force.
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