EL PASO, Texas – UTEP volleyball put together a complete performance Thursday night, defeating Air Force in straight sets (25-21, 25-20, 25-20) at Club Memorial.
The Miners improved to 13-8 overall and 5-4 in Conference USA play while the Falcons move to 7-13 (3-6 MW).
MATCH SUMMARY
UTEP controlled the match from start to finish in a 3-0 sweep of Air Force (25-21, 25-20, 25-20) Thursday night at Club Memorial. The Miners built an early double-digit lead in the opening set before holding off a late Falcon rally, then used a highly efficient offensive effort to pull away in the second frame after a tightly contested start. Air Force challenged UTEP early in the third set and led as late as 15-14, but the Miners responded with a strong closing run to secure the straight-set victory.
LEADERBOARD
Ema Uskokovic led all players with 10 kills while hitting .286 in the sweep. UTEP's offense was directed by
Kalia Kohler and
Shea Bruntmyer, who combined for 36 assists, with Kohler posting 21 and Bruntmyer adding 15.
Lauren Perry accounted for two of the Miners' three service aces. Defensively, Bruntmyer, Uskokovic and
Mackenzi Davis shared the team lead with nine digs apiece. At the net,
Hannah Crowe delivered a career performance with a match-high nine total blocks (one solo, eight assists) while also leading all players with 13 total points.
SPLITBOX
UTEP held the statistical advantage in several key categories, finishing with more kills (47-35), assists (44-34) and blocks (12-4) than Air Force. The teams were even in service aces with three each and matched one another with 48 digs. The Miners were also more efficient offensively, posting a .267 hitting percentage while limiting the Falcons to a .107 clip.
SET-BY-SET
ONE | UTEP used an early 7-0 surge to build control of the opening frame, turning a 3-3 tie into a 10-3 advantage. The Miners led by as many as 10 points at 22-12 before Air Force mounted a late rally with seven consecutive points. UTEP weathered the comeback attempt and closed out the set on a Falcon attacking error to take a 1-0 lead in the match. The Miners totaled seven team blocks in the opening set and held Air Force to a .027 hitting percentage.
TWO | The second set remained tight early, featuring four ties before UTEP seized momentum midway through the frame. Holding a narrow 13-10 lead, the Miners gradually stretched the margin by winning six of the next eight rallies and pushed the advantage to 19-15. Air Force was unable to cut the deficit below four points down the stretch as UTEP hit .357 in the set and sided out at an impressive 85 percent clip.
THREE | Air Force jumped out to an early 6-2 lead and later held a 15-14 edge, but UTEP responded with a decisive closing run. The Miners tied the score at 16-all and won nine of the final 13 points to complete the sweep. A strong defensive effort fueled the comeback, as UTEP recorded four team blocks in the set and forced multiple late Air Force attacking errors while hitting .333 offensively.
"Our coaching staff challenged ourselves to be better this week, focusing on fundamentals, communication and how we teach the game," head coach
Ben Wallis said. "The team responded and accepted those challenges, and I'm really proud of the way we played today. The key now is carrying that consistency into Saturday and getting off the roller coaster. Roller coasters are for amusement parks, not college volleyball teams. We have to continue that slow climb and keep getting better."
"This group has learned so much about themselves throughout conference play, especially with returners taking on new roles and everyone learning together," associate head coach
Courtney Johnson said. "As a coaching staff, we've been challenged to be great for them, and it's rewarding to see our preparation come together when they execute at a high level. Air Force is a gritty team that challenges opponents, so being able to execute offensively and defensively was key to tonight's win. Now, we have to carry that same preparation into Saturday, anticipate the adjustments they might make and make sure we're ready to execute just as well in the second match."
UP NEXT
UTEP and Air Force will meet again on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. MT at Club Memorial. The match will be streamed live on MW+.
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