EL PASO, Texas – UTEP volleyball (12-2, 2-0 Conference USA) returns to El Paso this weekend for its Conference USA home opener, hosting Liberty on Friday, Oct. 3, and Saturday, Oct. 4, inside Club Memorial. Friday's match features a White Out promotion, while Saturday's contest will highlight Mental Health Awareness and Parents Weekend. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.
SCHEDULE
| DATE | TIME | MATCHUP | WATCH | LIVE STATS |
| Fri. Oct. 3 Sat. Oct. 4 |
6 PM 1 PM |
UTEP vs. Liberty - White Out UTEP vs. Liberty - Mental Health Awareness |
ESPN+ ESPN+ |
StatBroadcast StatBroadcast |
| ^ All Times Mountain Daylight | ||||
LAST TIME OUT
The Miners opened Conference USA play with back-to-back victories at Sam Houston.
On Friday night, UTEP swept the Bearkats in straight sets (25-16, 25-14, 25-18), marking its eighth sweep of the season. The Miners controlled the match with a balanced attack, tough serving, and timely blocks, never allowing Sam Houston to gain momentum.
UTEP followed with a 3-1 victory on Saturday afternoon (25-17, 25-20, 21-25, 25-23) to complete the weekend sweep. After taking the first two sets, the Miners dropped a close third frame but regrouped in the fourth to secure the win. With the two victories, UTEP improved to 12-2 overall and 2-0 in CUSA action.
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
UTEP has been one of the nation's most efficient teams at the net, hitting .299 on the season, which ranks sixth nationally and leads CUSA. Three Miners are hitting above .300 with at least 100 kills: Kaya Weaver (.391), Landry Braziel (.326), and Sara Pustahija (.300). The team's best hitting performance of the season came against Oral Roberts on Sept. 13, when UTEP hit .459.
BLOCK PARTY
The Miners have tallied 119.0 total blocks, out-blocking opponents 119-83 this season. UTEP has posted six double-digit block performances, including a season-high 12 rejections against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Oral Roberts, and Sam Houston. Weaver leads the team with 48.0 blocks (1.09 per set).
BALANCED ATTACK
UTEP's offense has featured multiple scoring options, with four Miners averaging over 2.0 kills per set (minimum 100 kills): Torrance Lovesee (3.00), Weaver (2.43), Pustahija (2.34), and Braziel (2.22). All four have started every match this season, combining for 458 of UTEP's 644 kills. As a team, the Miners are averaging 13.77 kills per set, ranking 35th nationally and first in CUSA.
CHAMPS CHECKED
Three of UTEP's nine victories this season have come against defending conference champions and 2024 NCAA Tournament teams: Sacramento State (Big Sky), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Southland), and Texas State (Sun Belt). The Miners also added a win over Arizona on Sept. 16, the reigning NIVC champion.
NEW RECORD WHO DIS?
Sophomore outside hitter Landry Braziel delivered a record-breaking performance in UTEP's sweep of Oral Roberts on Sept. 13 to close out the Sun City Classic. Braziel hit .846 with 11 kills on 13 error-free swings, marking the best hitting percentage in program history for a three-set match with at least 10 kills.
THE 1K KILL CLUB
Torrance Lovesee became the 14th Miner in program history to reach 1,000 career kills, achieving the milestone with 17 kills in a road win at Arizona on Sept. 16. She now ranks eighth all-time at UTEP with 1,052 career kills.
HEAVY HITTERS
UTEP's season-high in kills is 61, recorded in a four-set victory at Arizona. The team's best three-set performance came in the season opener against Sacramento State with 45 kills. Lovesee was the first Miner to eclipse 100 kills this year and enters league play with a team-leading 141, followed by Pustahija (110), Weaver (107), and Braziel (100)..
THROUGH 14
Through 14 matches, UTEP has lost just two contests—a three-set setback to No. 24 UCLA and a four-set battle with No. 10 SMU. It marks just the sixth time in program history the Miners have suffered only two losses through their first 14 matches, and the second straight year under head coach Ben Wallis.
HISTORY AGAINST POWER CONFERENCES
UTEP has now defeated a Power Conference opponent in three consecutive seasons, matching the longest such streak in program history (1983–85). The Miners have earned notable wins over Iowa State (2024), Washington and Clemson (2023), and Northwestern and Arizona (2021). Prior to head coach Ben Wallis's arrival in 2019, UTEP had not beaten a Power 5 opponent since 2005.
IN THE CUSA SPOTLIGHT
- Weaver was named Conference USA Co-Defensive Player of the Week in Week 5 after leading the Miners to a 2-0 start in league play. Weaver anchored the net with 12 blocks (1.71/set), including three solo, in back-to-back wins at Sam Houston. She also chipped in four digs and an ace while contributing offensively with 19 kills (2.71/set) on a .300 hitting percentage, showcasing a two-way impact in UTEP's undefeated weekend.
- Setter Kalia Kohler was named CUSA Setter of the Week in Week 2. The honor is her 11th career weekly award, setting the program record for the most all-time. Kohler also becomes just the fifth Miner setter to earn a solo weekly honor from the conference.
- Setter Duo Honored: Mattie Gantt and Kalia Kohler earned the first 2025 C-USA Co-Setter of the Week award. The pair combined for 110 assists over 10 sets in Sacramento, while also adding digs, aces, and kills to fuel the Miners' .310 team hitting percentage. This marks the sixth career co-award for the duo.
- Weaver Headlines Preseason Team: Middle blocker Kaya Weaver was named the 2025 Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year, leading a league-best four UTEP honorees on the Preseason All-CUSA Team. She was joined by Ema Uskokovic, Sara Pustahija, and Danika Washington. The Miners were picked second in the preseason poll, earning four first-place votes.
NATIONAL & CONFERENCE RANKINGS
UTEP enters the weekend among the nation's leaders in several categories:
- Hitting Percentage: .299 (6th NCAA, 1st CUSA)
- Match W-L Percentage: .857 (12th NCAA)
- Opponent Hitting Percentage: .156 (20th NCAA, 1st CUSA)
- Assists per Set: 12.77 (33rd NCAA)
- Kills per Set: 13.77 (35th NCAA, 1st CUSA)
- Blocks per Set: 2.53 (44th NCAA)
Individually, Weaver leads CUSA in hitting percentage (.391), ranking 48th nationally. She also stands sixth in the league in blocks per set (1.09). Libero Fuka Sekita ranks fifth in CUSA in both digs per set (3.89) and total digs (179). Middle blocker Danika Washington ranks seventh in CUSA in blocks per set (1.00).
SCOUTING LIBERTY
- Liberty (14-1, 2-0 CUSA) arrives in El Paso riding a 10-match winning streak.
- The Lady Flames are tied with BYU for the most wins in Division I volleyball this season, trailing only Nebraska (12-0) and Texas (11-0) in winning percentage.
- Like UTEP, Liberty owns a win over a Power Four opponent this year, with victories against Rutgers and Houston, while UTEP toppled Arizona.
- Liberty has had a player claim CUSA Offensive Player of the Week honors every week this season. Paige Overcash earned the award three times, followed by Carly O'Brien and Jenna Otts in consecutive weeks.
- Otts leads the team with 13 double-digit kill matches, including nine straight entering the weekend.
- O'Brien (31 kills vs. Houston) and Overcash (30 kills vs. ECU) give Liberty the distinction of being the only NCAA team with two players who have recorded 30-kill matches this season.
- The Lady Flames are 6-0 in five-set matches this year.
- UTEP holds a 6-0 all-time advantage in the series. The Miners defeated Liberty in the first round of the CUSA Championship in both 2023 and 2024.
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