EL PASO, Texas – UTEP volleyball returns to Club Memorial this weekend as the Miners welcome UC Davis for a two-match Mountain West series Nov. 6 and 8. Friday's first serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT, while Sunday's series finale is set for noon MT. Both matches will stream live on MW+.
The Miners will celebrate Throwback Weekend throughout the series, welcoming back former UTEP volleyball players to Club Memorial for a weekend honoring the program's history and alumni.
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 ELEVEN RECAP: SAN JOSE ST.
The Miners opened the weekend with a hard-fought 3-1 victory (25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 27-25) Thursday night, overcoming a late Spartans rally in the fourth set to secure their third conference road win of the season.
Luvina Oguntimehin paced UTEP with 10 kills and five total blocks, while the Miners finished with 11 blocks and outhit San José State .238 to .187. UTEP followed with a dominant performance Friday, earning a straight-set sweep (25-16, 25-10, 25-20) to complete the series sweep and improve to 15-9 overall and 7-5 in conference play.
Mackenzi Davis led all players with 11 kills while recording a career-best .526 hitting percentage, as the Miners posted a .318 team hitting percentage and held the Spartans to just .078. UTEP also controlled the statistical categories across the board, finishing with advantages in kills, assists, service aces, digs and blocks to close out a successful road trip.
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 24 matches, UTEP has recorded 1,200 kills while hitting .239 as a team.
Luvina Oguntimehin leads the Miners with 226 kills and a .360 hitting percentage, followed by
Mackenzi Davis with 217 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 2.51 kills per set, followed by Davis at 2.36, Uskokovic at 2.29 and Braziel at 2.00. UTEP's season-high is 73 kills against Air Force (Oct. 24). As a team, UTEP is averaging 13.04 kills per set.
SETTING THE TABLE
The Miners' 6-2 offensive system is directed by senior
Kalia Kohler, who leads the team with 536 assists and averages 5.83 per set. Junior
Shea Bruntmyer has contributed 286 assists at 3.92 per set. UTEP's season high is 68 assists against Air Force (Oct. 24).
SERVING UP PRESSURE
UTEP has recorded 139 service aces this season, with Perry accounting for 48 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 ninth nationally total aces, while her 0.52 aces per set rank 22nd in the NCAA.
DIGGING DEEP
Lily-Rose Pichon leads UTEP with 238 digs, while Kohler has recorded 226 and Uskokovic has added 199. 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 237 blocks to lead the Mountain West and rank 13th nationally. UTEP averages 2.58 blocks per set, good for 31st in the NCAA. Oguntimehin leads the squad with 97 total blocks, including 15 solo blocks and 82 assisted blocks, while
Hannah Crowe follows with 90. Both middle blockers average 1.08 blocks per set. UTEP's season high is 15 blocks at Wyoming on Sept. 26.
POINT TAKEN
Oguntimehin leads UTEP with 286.0 points, averaging 3.18 per set, while Uskokovic ranks second with 257.0 points at 2.82 per set.
THE FULL STAT SHEET
UTEP holds statistical advantages over its opponents in several key categories, including kills (1200-1118), assists (1102-1020), service aces (139-96) and blocks (237-160.5). The Miners are hitting .239 as a team while limiting opponents to a .190 hitting percentage. Opponents hold a slight edge in digs, 1250-1225, making defensive consistency an important factor as UTEP continues Mountain West play.
TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
UTEP leads the Mountain West in six statistical categories, ranking first in assists per set (11.98), blocks per set (2.58), team assists (1102), team kills (1201), team service aces (139), and team total blocks (237.0).
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Among 343 NCAA Division I teams, UTEP ranks inside the top 100 nationally in eight statistical categories:
- 13th in total blocks (237.0)
- 31st in blocks per set (2.58)
- 59th in kills (1201)
- 67th in assists (1102)
- 78th in hitting percentage (0.239)
- 79th in opp. hitting percentage (0.190)
- 94th in match w-l pctg. (0.625)
- 99th in kills per set (13.05)
INDIVIDUAL IMPACT
Perry leads the Mountain West in both service aces (48) and aces per set (0.52), ranking ninth and 22nd, respectively, in the NCAA. Crowe ranks third in the conference in blocks per set (1.08) and fourth in total blocks (90). Oguntimehin also ranks among the league's top blockers, sitting fourth in blocks per set (1.08) and second in total blocks (97), which ranks 76th nationally. Oguntimehin additionally ranks second in the Mountain West and 76th in the NCAA in hitting percentage at .360.
MINERS AT A GLANCE
Overall: 15-9
MW: 7-5 |
Home: 6-3
Away: 6-5
Neutral: 3-1 |
3 sets: 7-3
4 sets: 5-3
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 AGGIES
UC Davis enters the weekend with a 12-11 overall record and an 8-4 mark in Mountain West play, sitting second in the conference standings. The Aggies are coming off a series split against Hawai'i, earning a four-set victory Friday before delivering a straight-set sweep Saturday to hand the Rainbow Wahine just their second sweep of the season. Middle blocker Ally Chandler leads the offensive effort, most recently recording 14 kills against Hawai'i, while setter Mia Starr directs the attack with more than 3,550 career assists. Defensively, libero Ximena Cordero Barr anchors the backcourt and recently earned her fourth Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honor after collecting 39 digs across two matches. UC Davis also features a balanced roster with several returning all-conference performers, including Chandler, Starr and Cordero Barr.
SERIES HISTORY
UTEP holds a 1-0 advantage in the all-time series against UC Davis, with the Miners earning a 3-1 victory in the programs' only meeting on Aug. 31, 2025. Head coach
Ben Wallis is also 1-0 against the Aggies, as UTEP looks to extend its winning streak to two matches and maintain its unbeaten record in the series.
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