PHOENIX, Ariz. – UTEP volleyball dropped a 3-1 decision to Grand Canyon on Thursday night at Global Credit Union Arena, falling 25-20, 25-20, 23-25, 25-16. The Miners moved to 16-11 overall and 8-7 in Mountain West play.
UTEP was led offensively by
Luvina Oguntimehin, who finished with 11 kills while hitting .348.
Ema Uskokovic and
Landry Braziel added 10 kills apiece, while Uskokovic recorded a team-high 22 digs.
Grand Canyon opened the match with a 25-20 first-set victory. The Lopes established an early advantage, building a 10-4 lead before UTEP began chipping away at the deficit. The Miners worked their way back within two at 18-16, getting kills from Crowe and Uskokovic along the way. Oguntimehin and Uskokovic continued to provide offensive production late in the frame, but Grand Canyon maintained its advantage to take the opening set.
The Lopes carried their momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead. UTEP responded with kills from Oguntimehin and a service ace from the junior middle blocker to help trim the deficit. The Miners continued to battle, with kills from Uskokovic, Crowe and
Laila Amos helping keep the set within reach. However, Grand Canyon used a late scoring stretch to extend its advantage and close out the set, 25-20.
UTEP responded in the third set, earning a 25-23 victory to extend the match. After the teams traded points early, the Miners found their rhythm offensively, with Braziel delivering three consecutive kills to help UTEP build separation.
Bella Widmer added back-to-back service aces, and Amos contributed a kill as the Miners built a 12-5 advantage. Grand Canyon worked its way back into the set, eventually closing the gap to three at 20-17. UTEP answered with big kills from Oguntimehin and Uskokovic down the stretch before securing the 25-23 win.
Grand Canyon closed out the match with a 25-16 fourth-set victory. The teams battled through a 7-7 tie before the Lopes put together a decisive scoring run to take a 16-8 lead. UTEP attempted to respond with kills from Oguntimehin, Uskokovic and Crowe, but Grand Canyon maintained control through the remainder of the frame to secure the four-set decision.
UP NEXT
UTEP will wrap up its final road trip of the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 14, when it faces Grand Canyon for the second meeting of the series in Phoenix. First serve is set for 1 p.m. MT, with the match streaming live on MW+.
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