EL PASO, Texas - UTEP Volleyball (16-10, 8-6 MW) hit the road for the final time during the 2026 regular season, traveling to Phoenix, Arizona, for a pair of MW matchups against Grand Canyon on November 12 and 14 at Global Credit Union Arena at GCU. The Miners and Lopes will meet Thursday at 6 pm MT before wrapping up the series Saturday at 1 pm MT. Both matches will stream live on MW+.

SCHEDULE

DATE	TIME (MT)	MATCHUP	WATCH	LIVE STATS
Thur. Nov. 12 Sat. Nov. 14	6 PM 1 PM	UTEP at GCU UTEP at GCU	MW+ MW+	StatBroadcast StatBroadcast

WEEK TWELVE RECAP: UC DAVIS

UTEP volleyball split its two-match series against UC Davis at Club Memorial, earning a 3-1 victory on Friday before falling by the same score in Sunday's finale. The Miners opened the series with a thrilling comeback, overcoming a first-set deficit and outlasting the Aggies 34-32 in a marathon second set that lasted 58 minutes. UTEP carried that momentum into the final two frames, hitting .450 in the third set to secure the win. The Miners also held a commanding 15-9 advantage in blocks. UC Davis responded in Sunday's rematch, taking the opening two sets before UTEP rallied to claim the third, 25-20. However, the Aggies regained control in the fourth set to close out the match, finishing with a .235 hitting percentage compared to UTEP's .097.
 

WEEKLY WINNERS

SEP. 28 | 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 | 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 26 matches, UTEP has recorded 1,297 kills while hitting .232 as a team. Luvina Oguntimehin leads the Miners with 242 kills and a .344 hitting percentage, followed by Mackenzi Davis with 233 kills. UTEP has hit above .300 as a team four times this season, posting a season-best .359 at Wyoming on Sept. 15, along with marks of .341 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, .336 against UC San Diego, and .318 at San Jose State (Oct. 30).
 

FOUR-HEADED ATTACK

UTEP features four 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 2.33, Uskokovic at 2.32 and Braziel at 2.00. UTEP's season-high is 73 kills against Air Force (Oct. 24). As a team, UTEP is averaging 12.97 kills per set.
 

SETTING THE TABLE

The Miners' 6-2 offensive system is directed by senior Kalia Kohler, who leads the team with 575 assists and averages 5.75 per set. Junior Shea Bruntmyer has contributed 324 assists at 4.00 per set. UTEP's season high is 68 assists against Air Force (Oct. 24).
 

SERVING UP PRESSURE

UTEP has recorded 147 service aces this season, with Perry accounting for 49 to lead the team. The Miners posted a season-high 13 aces in their Oct. 8 match at Nevada. Perry ranks first in the conference and 18th nationally total aces, while her 0.49 aces per set rank 29th in the NCAA.
 

DIGGING DEEP

Lily-Rose Pichon leads UTEP with 268 digs, while Kohler has recorded 245 and Uskokovic has added 222. The Miners have demonstrated their defensive ability throughout the season, highlighted by a season-high 81 digs against Air Force.
 

BLOCK PARTY

The Miners have been dominant at the net, totaling 260.0 blocks to lead the Mountain West and rank 7th nationally. UTEP averages 2.60 blocks per set, good for 28th in the NCAA. Oguntimehin leads the squad with 112 total blocks, including 16 solo blocks and 96 assisted blocks, while Hannah Crowe follows with 94 TB. Oguntimehin averages 1.14 blocks per set while Crowe follows closely with 1.08 per set. UTEP's season high is 15 blocks at Wyoming on Sept. 26.
 

POINT TAKEN

Oguntimehin leads UTEP with 313.0 points, averaging 3.19 per set, while Uskokovic ranks second with 283.5 points at 2.86 per set.
 

THE FULL STAT SHEET

UTEP holds statistical advantages over its opponents in several key categories, including kills (1297-1235), assists (1192-1127), service aces (147-102) and blocks (260-180.5). The Miners are hitting .232 as a team while limiting opponents to a .191 hitting percentage. Opponents hold a slight edge in digs, 1384-1339, 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 aces per set (1.47), assists per set (11.92), blocks per set (2.60), team assists (1192), team kills (1298), team aces (147), and team total blocks (260.0).
 

NATIONAL RANKINGS

Among 343 NCAA Division I teams, UTEP ranks inside the top 100 nationally in seven statistical categories:
 

• 7th in total blocks (260.0)
• 28th in blocks per set (2.60)
• 58th in kills (1298)
• 61st in assists (1192)
• 85th in opp hitting percentage (0.191)
• 99th in match w-l pctg. (0.615)
• 99th in hitting percentage (0.232)

INDIVIDUAL IMPACT

UTEP volleyball continues to make its mark nationally, with several Miners ranking among the Mountain West's top performers. Lauren Perry leads the conference and ranks 29th nationally in aces per set (0.49), while also ranking first in the MW and 18th in the NCAA in total aces (49). Luvina Oguntimehin ranks second in the conference in blocks per set (1.14) and third in hitting percentage (.344). She also ranks second in the MW and 44th nationally in total blocks (112). Hannah Crowe rounds out the defensive leaders, ranking fifth in the conference in blocks per set (1.08) and fourth in total blocks (94).
 

MINERS AT A GLANCE

Overall: 16-10 MW: 8-6

Home: 7-4 Away: 6-5 Neutral: 3-1

3 sets: 7-3 4 sets: 6-4 5 sets: 3-3

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 THE LOPES

Grand Canyon enters the matchup with a 15-10 overall record and a 9-5 mark in Mountain West play. The Lopes have found their rhythm down the stretch, winning six of their last seven matches, including a pair of victories over New Mexico and a two-match sweep of San José State. GCU also owns conference wins over Nevada, UNLV, Air Force and Wyoming. The Lopes have been particularly effective offensively, hitting .248 as a team while averaging 12.82 kills per set. They have also been productive at the net, totaling 212.0 blocks through 25 matches. The Lopes are led offensively by fifth-year outside hitter Starr Williams, who paces the team with 360 kills and averages 3.83 kills per set. Middle blocker Aubrey Bellus has been another key contributor, recording 162 kills while hitting a team-best .336. Bella Nunez and Taylor Kubacak have shared setting responsibilities, combining for more than 980 assists on the season. GCU is coached by Kendra Potts, who has guided the Lopes to their longest winning streak of her tenure.

SERIES HISTORY

• Overall Series: UTEP leads 4-3 in official meetings.
• Combined Series Record: UTEP leads 7-3-2 when including preseason exhibitions.
• Official Countable Meetings: UTEP holds a 4-3 advantage.
• Exhibition Meetings: UTEP is 3-0-2 against the Lopes.
• Ben Wallis vs. Grand Canyon: Wallis has just one loss against GCU in official competition (2021) and is 3-0-2 in exhibition meetings.
• First-Ever Meeting: Sept. 23, 1978, with UTEP earning a 3-1 victory at a neutral site.
• Last Meeting: Aug. 23, 2025, an exhibition that ended in a 2-2 tie.
• Last Official Meeting: Sept. 10, 2021, with Grand Canyon claiming a 3-1 victory at a neutral site.
• Thursday marks the first time UTEP and Grand Canyon will meet in Phoenix in an official, countable match and will be UTEP's third all-time meeting against GCU in Phoenix, including exhibitions.

 

---

Give a gift to UTEP Women's Volleyball by donating to the Point Miners Club.                         
      
Stay up to date with UTEP Volleyball by subscribing to the team's newsletter here.            
      
For complete coverage of UTEP Women's Volleyball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @utepvb (Instagram), @UTEPVolleyball (Facebook), and @UTEPVB (X) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.  

---