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UTEP Volleyball Heads to Corpus Christi for Southwest Showdown

9/2/2026 7:00:00 PM

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The UTEP volleyball team (1-1) continues its non-conference slate this weekend at the third annual Southwest Showdown, hosted by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Sept. 3-5.

The Miners will face three familiar Texas opponents across three days, opening against Texas State on Thursday at 4 p.m. UTEP will then take on host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Friday at 5:30 p.m. before closing the tournament Saturday morning against UTRGV at 10 a.m.

All three matches will be played at the Dugan Wellness Center in Corpus Christi.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

 DATE  TIME (MT)  MATCHUP  WATCH  STATS
Thurs. Sept. 3
Fri. Sept. 4
Sat. Sept. 5		 4 PM
5:30 PM
6 PM		 vs Texas State
at Texas A&M-Corpsu Christi
vs UTRGV		 ---
ESPN+
---		 StatBroadcast
StatBroadcast
StatBraodcast
^ All Times Mountain

ABOUT THE SOUTHWEST SHOWDOWN

The Southwest Showdown is in its third year of competition and will be held Sept. 3-5 in Corpus Christi, Texas. The four-team field features UTEP, UTRGV, Texas A&M–Corpus Christi, and Texas State. The annual event will rotate hosting duties among the participating schools each season. 

LAST TIME AT THE SOUTHWEST SHOWDOWN

UTEP enjoyed a perfect weekend at the 2025 Southwest Showdown, sweeping all three matches to claim the tournament championship.

The Miners opened the event with a 3-0 sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before defeating UTRGV, 3-0, on day two. UTEP closed the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Texas State, overcoming a second-set setback before winning a tightly contested third set and cruising through the fourth. Landry Braziel earned All-Tournament Team honors.

With its three victories in 2025, UTEP improved to 6-0 all-time in Southwest Showdown play and has gone undefeated in all six matches against the tournament field.

OPENING WEEKEND RECAP

UTEP enters the weekend at 1-1 after opening the 2026 campaign with back-to-back five-set matches.

The Miners opened the season against reigning American Athletic Conference champion Tulsa, falling 3-2 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces. UTEP jumped ahead 2-1 after three sets before Tulsa rallied to win the final two frames. The match marked UTEP's first five-set contest in 631 days since its 2024 NCAA Tournament matchup against Oklahoma.

UTEP bounced back in a big way Sunday, rallying from a 2-1 deficit to defeat NM State, 3-2 (25-23, 13-25, 24-26, 25-22, 15-13), in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,176 at Club Memorial. The attendance figure established a new UTEP regular-season record, surpassing the previous mark of 3,105 set against UCLA in 2025.

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER

UTEP enters the weekend hitting .218 as a team, ranking third in the Mountain West.

Three Miners are hitting at least .270 while recording double-digit kills. Luvina Oguntimehin leads the way at .311, followed by Lauren Perry at .286 and Mackenzi Davis at .271.

The trio has also provided a balanced offensive attack through the opening weekend. Oguntimehin leads the team with 2.40 kills per set, followed by Davis at 2.30 and Landry Braziel at 2.00. All three have played all 10 sets this season.

As a team, UTEP also ranks third in the Mountain West in kills per set (11.70).

BLOCK PARTY

The Miners have recorded 18.0 total blocks through the opening weekend, ranking third in the Mountain West.

Hannah Crowe leads UTEP with 9.0 total blocks, including two solo blocks, while Oguntimehin has added 7.0 blocks, including one solo.

Crowe currently ranks fourth among Mountain West players with 1.13 blocks per set.

MINERS IN TOURNAMENT PLAY

UTEP has gone undefeated in 38 tournaments throughout program history.

The Miners are 6-0 all-time in Southwest Showdown competition, winning all six matches while posting an 18-4 record in sets.

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.

THE OPPONENTS

TEXAS STATE
  • Texas State enters the weekend at 1-1 after opening its season at home with a 3-0 loss to Oklahoma before responding with a 3-0 sweep of Louisiana at the Texas State Invitational.
  • Brooke Bentke leads the Bobcats with 19 kills, followed by India Bennett with 11. Anna Blaine has directed the offense with 46 assists, while Jasmine Purakal and Bentke lead the team with 15 and 11 digs, respectively.
  • Bennett has made an impact on both sides of the net, leading Texas State with 8.0 blocks while hitting .320 among players with at least 10 kills. She currently ranks 39th nationally with 1.60 blocks per set.
  • As a team, Texas State is hitting .194.
TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI
  • Host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi enters the tournament at 0-2 after falling to Kansas State, 3-0, and Campbell, 3-2, at the K-State Invitational.
  • Ally Saleh leads the Islanders with 18 kills and owns a .385 hitting percentage among players with at least 10 kills. Four Islanders have recorded double-digit kills, while Virginia Van der Werff leads the team with 43 assists.
  • Brooklyn Jaeger leads Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with 33 digs and ranks 76th nationally with 4.13 digs per set. Saleh and Abigail Huddleston have each recorded 4.0 blocks.
  • The Islanders are hitting .134 as a team.
UTRGV
  • UTRGV enters the weekend at 0-2 after dropping a 3-1 decision at West Virginia before being swept by UMBC at the Country Roads Challenge.
  • Martina France leads the Vaqueros with 25 kills and ranks 41st nationally with 11.00 attacks per set. Lana Rnkaj has recorded a team-high 52 assists, while Ema Petkovic leads the team with five aces and ranks 34th nationally with 0.71 aces per set.
  • Celianiz Cabranes leads UTRGV with 15 digs, followed by Franco with 13, while Julianna Bryant leads the team defensively with 6.0 blocks.
  • Bryant also owns a team-best .233 hitting percentage among players with at least 10 kills.
  • UTRGV is hitting .123 as a team.

SERIES NOTES

  • UTEP and Texas State are tied, 11-11, in the all-time series. The Bobcats hold the edge in total set wins, 39-35, but the Miners have won the last two meetings.
  • UTEP owns a perfect 7-0 record against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, including a 21-8 advantage in sets. 
  • UTEP leads the all-time series against UTRGV, 20-1, and enters Saturday's matchup riding a nine-match winning streak against the Vaqueros. The Miners also own a commanding 59-8 advantage in total sets.
 
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