Box Score LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The UTEP volleyball team opened the 2026 season with a hard-fought five-set battle against the reigning American Athletic Conference champions, falling to Tulsa, 3-2, Saturday afternoon at the Pan American Center.
The Miners (0-1) took a 2-1 lead after three sets before Tulsa (2-0) rallied to claim the final two frames and secure the season-opening victory.
The five-set match marked UTEP's first since the 2024 season, when the Miners faced Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. UTEP fell to the Sooners, 3-2, in that contest.
With Saturday's result, UTEP is now 27-26 all-time in season openers and 4-4 in season openers during the
Ben Wallis era (2019-present).
Saturday's match also featured the UTEP debuts of six Miners, with four making their collegiate debuts. Junior setter
Shea Bruntmyer, senior libero
Lily-Rose Pichon, sophomore outside hitter
Mackenzi Davis, freshman libero
Bella Widmer, freshman setter
Caryme Molina and freshman outside hitter
Laila Amos all saw their first action in a UTEP uniform.
LEADERBOARD
- Three Miners finished in double figures in kills, led by Oguntimehin with 15, followed by Perry with 14 and Davis with 12.
- Oguntimehin led all players with a .458 hitting percentage and finished with a team-best 16.5 points.
- Kalia Kohler and Bruntmyer combined for 47 assists, recording 25 and 22, respectively.
- Bruntmyer and Perry each registered two service aces.
- Three Miners also reached double figures in digs, with Pichon and Perry recording 16 apiece and Kohler adding 10.
- At the net, Crowe posted a team-high eight total blocks, including two solo blocks.
SPLIT BOX
As a team, UTEP held statistical advantages in kills (61-58) and blocks (11-7). Both teams recorded 55 assists and four aces, while Tulsa held a narrow 65-64 edge in digs. The Miners finished the match with a .233 hitting percentage and held the Golden Hurricane to a .173 clip.
SET-BY-SET
ONE | Tulsa jumped out to an early 8-3 advantage before UTEP began chipping away. Kills from Perry, Oguntimehin, Crowe and Davis helped the Miners stay within striking distance, while a solo block from Crowe brought UTEP within three at 12-15. The Miners continued to battle, eventually tying the set at 19-19 on a Tulsa error. UTEP took its first lead of the frame at 21-20 following a kill by
Landry Braziel and later moved ahead 22-21 on a kill from
Ema Uskokovic. Crowe's solo block gave the Miners a 23-22 edge, but Tulsa answered to reach set point. Perry's kill tied the set at 24-24, but the Golden Hurricane eventually sealed the opener, 26-24.
TWO | UTEP responded in emphatic fashion, using a 6-0 run midway through the set to take control. Bruntmyer recorded an ace to give the Miners a 5-4 lead before kills from Davis, Perry and Oguntimehin helped UTEP build a 13-9 advantage. Oguntimehin sparked another run as the Miners surged ahead 16-10. The Miners continued to deliver offensively and closed the frame on an Oguntimehin kill to even the match at one set apiece, 25-18.
THREE | After falling behind 4-0 to open the third, UTEP quickly erased the deficit with a series of blocks to tie the set at 5-4. From there, UTEP took control, capitalizing on two consecutive Tulsa errors to build a 10-8 advantage. Kills from Perry, Davis, Braziel and Uskokovic kept the Miners in front, while Bruntmyer added an ace to make it 20-15. Davis continued to dominate late in the frame, recording three more kills and teaming with Crowe for a block as UTEP reached set point. Perry's kill sealed the 25-18 victory and gave the Miners a 2-1 match lead.
FOUR | Tulsa came out strong in the fourth set, but UTEP remained within striking distance early. Braziel opened the scoring with a kill, while Davis and Perry added kills to help the Miners take a 7-6 lead. A block by Braziel and Oguntimehin followed by a Perry ace closed the gap, 9-10, but Tulsa responded with a 7-2 run to take a 17-12 advantage and force a UTEP timeout. The Miners attempted to rally late behind kills from Davis and Oguntimehin, with Oguntimehin recording three consecutive kills to cut the deficit to 19-22. Tulsa, however, put down three final kills to force a decisive fifth set.
FIVE | The Golden Hurricane took an early 3-1 lead in the deciding frame before UTEP battled back to tie the set at 3-3. Uskokovic's kill and another Tulsa error kept the Miners within one at 5-6, but Tulsa responded with an 8-0 run to take a 14-5 advantage. UTEP fought to extend the match, but Tulsa closed out the set, 15-7, to claim the five-set victory.
"I learned that we have a lot of weapons," head coach Ben Wallis said. "We're physical and dangerous at times, and we have the components of being a good team. Unfortunately, Tulsa is a conference champion for a reason. They responded to us pushing them around in the second and third sets by playing more physically and doing some tactical things that slowed us down. We didn't have the other gear in the fourth and fifth that we needed to. It wasn't that we played poorly; Tulsa just played better. They're a very good, well-coached team, and they know how to win."
UP NEXT
UTEP returns to Club Memorial for a sold-out match on Sunday, Aug. 30, to face I-10 rival New Mexico State at 6 p.m. The match will be streamed live on
MW+.
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