RENO, Nev. – UTEP volleyball erased a 2-1 deficit to force a fifth set but could not complete the comeback, falling to Nevada , 2-3 (21-25, 25-16, 25-27, 25-20, 10-15) Thursday night at Virginia Street Gym.
The Miners dropped to 11-6 overall and 3-2 in Mountain West play.
UTEP grabbed the opening set after battling through 12 ties and three lead changes. Trailing 18-17 late, the Miners closed on an 8-3 run behind strong serving from
Lauren Perry and blocks from
Luvina Oguntimehin and
Ema Uskokovic.
Landry Braziel added three kills in the frame as UTEP claimed a 25-21 win.
Nevada quickly responded in the second set, using a mid-set surge to create separation and never allowing the Miners within striking distance. The Wolf Pack hit .385 in the stanza and limited UTEP to a .222 attack percentage while pulling away for a 25-16 victory to even the match.
The third set featured 16 ties and was the most competitive stretch of the night. UTEP built a 21-18 advantage and later fought off set point to tie the frame at 25-all on a Perry kill. Nevada answered with back-to-back points, however, escaping with a 27-25 win and taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
Facing a potential sweep of the final two sets, the Miners responded with their strongest start of the night in the fourth. UTEP jumped out to a 5-1 lead and eventually stretched the margin to 14-5 behind efficient attacking and improved play at the net. Nevada never got closer than four points the rest of the way as the Miners forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-20 win.
The deciding set unraveled early for UTEP. Nevada turned a 4-4 tie into a 12-6 advantage and maintained control despite a late Miner push that cut the deficit to 12-10. The Wolf Pack answered with three of the final five points to secure the 15-10 set victory and the match.
Uskokovic led the Miners with 11 kills, while Braziel added 10. Perry paced UTEP with a career-high seven service aces and a team-best 17 points. Oguntimehin totaled a team-high seven blocks in the setback.
The Miners finished with advantages in aces (13-7) and blocks (12-6), but the Wolf Pack outhit UTEP in kills (65-53) and posted a .268 hitting percentage compared to the Miners' .229.
UP NEXT
The Miners will get another shot at the Wolf Pack this Saturday, Oct. 10 at 1pm MT.
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