KINGSVILLE, Texas – The UTEP beach volleyball team opened the 2026 season in dominant fashion, sweeping both duals on Friday at the Javelina Beach Classic. The Miners defeated Louisiana-Monroe, 4-1, in the morning before shutting out Sam Houston, 5-0, in the afternoon.

With the victory over ULM, UTEP secured its third consecutive season-opening win. Friday also marked the first time since the program's inception in 2023 that the Miners swept all of their duals on opening day.

Dual 1 UTEP 4, ULM 1

UTEP built early momentum and secured the team victory behind a strong performance across the middle courts.

Evelina Krieva and Deni McCalmont put the Miners on the board first with a 21-17, 21-17 win at the No. 4 position. Paulina Acuna and Madison Hill followed with a three-set battle at No. 2, rallying for a 21-15, 18-21, 15-10 victory.

The decisive point came from the No. 5 court, where Kennedy Llewellyn and Mila Popovic dominated, 21-12, 21-3, to clinch the dual for UTEP.

With the dual secured, Iana Loera and Averie Threet added another straight-sets win at No. 3, 21-14, 21-18. Louisiana-Monroe's lone point came at the top flight.

Results (Order of Finish: 4, 2, 5*, 3, 1)

1. Hunter/Marquez (ULM) def. Gonzalez Monreal/Paegle (UTEP) 21-18, 16-21, 15-11
2. Acuna/Hill (UTEP) def. Taggart/Zukowska (ULM) 21-15, 18-21, 15-10
3. Loera/Threet (UTEP) def. Otjen/Ryno (ULM) 21-14, 21-18
4. Krieva/McCalmont (UTEP) def. Bankston/Peterson (ULM) 21-17, 21-17
5. Llewellyn/Popovic (UTEP) def. Ingersoll/Sondrup (ULM) 21-12, 21-3

Dual 2 UTEP 5, SHSU 0

The Miners carried their momentum into the afternoon, again controlling the dual from the start.

Acuna and Hill opened the scoring with a convincing 21-13, 21-13 win at No. 2. Adriana Oporto and Emma Schubert — who moved into the lineup after competing in the No. 6 position during the morning dual — made an immediate impact, battling to a three-set victory at No. 4, 21-12, 17-21, 15-6.

The clinching point came from Krieva and McCalmont at the No. 5 position, who edged Sam Houston in straight sets, 22-20, 21-19, to secure the sweep.

Alexa Gonzalez Monreal and Krista Paegle added a 22-20, 21-13 win at No. 1, while Loera and Threet closed the dual with a three-set comeback, 18-21, 21-17, 15-13, at No. 3.

Results (Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5*, 1, 3)

1. Gonzalez Monreal/Paegle (UTEP) def. Sam Houston 22-20, 21-13
2. Acuna/Hill (UTEP) def. Sam Houston 21-13, 21-13
3. Loera/Threet (UTEP) def. Sam Houston 18-21, 21-17, 15-13
4. Oporto/Schubert (UTEP) def. Sam Houston 21-12, 17-21, 15-6
5. Krieva/McCalmont (UTEP) def. Sam Houston 22-20, 21-19

UP NEXT

UTEP continues play at the Javelina Beach Classic on Saturday, Feb. 21. The Miners will face McNeese at 7 a.m. MT before taking on host Texas A&M-Kingsville at 9 a.m. MT.

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