UTEP Miners

EL PASO, Texas – (RV) UTEP volleyball embarks on its final road trip of the regular season, traveling to Kennesaw, Georgia, for a two-match Conference USA series against Kennesaw State. The Miners and Owls will square off Nov. 7-8 inside VyStar Arena, with both matches streaming live on ESPN+.

SCHEDULE 

LAST TIME OUT     

UTEP opened the Voll-O-Ween weekend with a 3-1 victory (25-11, 25-19, 21-25, 25-17) on Friday night before completing the series sweep Saturday afternoon with another 3-1 decision (25-14, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18). The pair of wins pushed UTEP to 21-3 overall and 11-1 in CUSA play, marking the program's 12th 20-win season and fourth under head coach Ben Wallis.

Behind an efficient offense and dominant net presence, UTEP controlled the tempo in both matches, out-blocking the Bears 20-15 for the weekend and hitting a combined .347 as a team.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION     

UTEP continues to gain national attention, earning 19 votes in the latest AVCA/Taraflex Coaches Poll this week (Nov. 3). The Miners also achieved an RPI of 24. 

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER     

UTEP enters the weekend ranked sixth nationally in hitting percentage (.301). Three active Miners boast attack efficiencies above the .300 mark (minimum 140 kills):

• Danika Washington – .379 (143 kills)
• Sara Pustahija – .303 (200 kills)
• Landry Braziel – .302 (168 kills)

The Miners have hit .300 or better in 12 matches this season, including two matches over .400 (.459 vs. Oral Roberts; .400 vs. NM State).

BLOCK PARTY     

The Miners have totaled 182.0 team blocks and have out-blocked their opponents 202-149 this season. UTEP has recorded double-digit blocks 10 times, with a season-high 14 coming against Louisiana Tech. Graduate middle blocker Danika Washington leads the way with 84.0 total blocks.

BALANCED ATTACK     

UTEP's offensive depth continues to shine with three active players averaging at least 2.0 kills per set (minimum 140 kills): Torrance Lovesee – 3.12 kills/set, Sara Pustahija – 2.57 kills/set, Landry Braziel – 2.13 kills/set.

Lovesee and Pustahija have started all 24 matches and played in all 81 sets this season. As a team, UTEP is averaging 13.67 kills per set, ranking 35th nationally.

CHAMPS CHECKED       

Four of UTEP's 21 victories this season have come against defending conference champions and 2024 NCAA Tournament teams: Sacramento State (Big Sky), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Southland), Texas State (Sun Belt), Western Kentucky (CUSA). 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.    

1K KILL CLUB     

Torrance Lovesee became the 14th Miner to eclipse 1,000 career kills at UTEP. She reached the milestone with a 17-kill performance against Arizona and now stands at 1,164 career kills, ranking seventh in program history.    

HEAVY HITTERS     

UTEP's season high in kills came in a four-set match against Arizona (61) — the most in a single match this year. The Miners' top three-set performance was 47 kills in their sweep of Western Kentucky. Six Miners have surpassed the 200-kill mark this season, with Lovesee leading the way at 253 and Pustahija following with 200. 

HOT START IN CONFERENCE   
UTEP's 11–1 start in Conference USA marks just the second time in program history the Miners have dropped only one match through 12 league contests (1984, 2025). 

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           

• Washington was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week in Week 10 after an exceptional showing against Missouri State. Washington posted 21 kills on 32 error-free swings for an incredible .656 hitting percentage, while adding a team-high 10 blocks. She averaged 2.63 kills, 1.25 blocks, and 3.25 points per set across the series.
• 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.        

MINER RANKINGS     

UTEP sits among the NCAA's top 50 in multiple statistical categories: 

• 6th – Match W-L Percentage (.875)
• 6th – Hitting Percentage (.301)
• 20th – Opponent Hitting Percentage (.164)
• 29th – Aces per Set (1.84)
• 30th – Assists per Set (12.74)
• 35th – Kills per Set (13.67)
• 46th – Blocks per Set (2.49)

The Miners lead CUSA in opponent hitting percentage, match win percentage, and blocks per set. Individually, Sara Pustahija ranks 6th in CUSA in aces per set (0.38), Danika Washington sits at 3rd in hitting percentage (.379) and 5th in blocks per set (1.02) while Fuka Sekita ranks 7th in total digs (298).

SERIES HISTORY: UTEP VS. KENNESAW STATE 

UTEP leads the all-time series 2-0, with both wins coming last season in El Paso (3-1 and 3-0 victories).

BY THE NUMBERS 

• Sets Played: UTEP – 81 (24 matches); Kennesaw State – 84 (22 matches) 
• Conference Records: UTEP (11–1, 1st), Kennesaw State (10-2, 3rd) 
• National RPI: UTEP – 24, Kennesaw State – 102
• AVCA Coaches Poll: UTEP is receiving 19 votes (Nov. 3) 

SCOUTING KENNESAW STATE  

• The Owls lead the league and rank 19th nationally in aces per set (1.93).
• Manu Johnsen ranks among the nation's elite, leading CUSA in points per set (4.82) and sitting top 60 nationally in kills (4.07 k/s), total points (400), and service aces (42).
• Olivia Burrage ranks third in CUSA in total blocks (95) and fourth in both blocks per set (1.13) and hitting percentage (.364).
• As a team, Kennesaw State is hitting .250 and has surpassed the .300 mark seven times this season, highlighted by a .407 clip against South Carolina State.

Give a gift to UTEP Women's Volleyball by donating to the Point Miners Club.                                   
                
Stay up to date with UTEP Volleyball by subscribing to the team's newsletter here.                      
                
For complete coverage of UTEP Women's Volleyball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @utepvb (Instagram), @UTEPVolleyball (Facebook), and @UTEPVB (X) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.