EL PASO, Texas – UTEP beach volleyball travels to Austin, Texas, for a Texas-sized showdown at the Lone Star Classic on Saturday, April 18, marking the regular season finale. The one-day event will feature the Miners, Houston Christian, and nationally ranked No. 4 Texas.
UTEP enters the weekend with a 7-17 overall record (3-4 Conference USA) and looks to build momentum against a challenging field that includes one of the nation's top teams.
Schedule
Saturday, April 18
#4 Texas | 8:30am MT | watch: Longhorn Network
HCU | 10:30am MT
Last Time Out: Boise State Beach Classic
UTEP is coming off a tough outing at the Boise State Beach Classic, where the Miners dropped all four duals across two days of competition.
On Friday, UTEP fell 4-1 to Santa Clara before narrowly dropping a 3-2 decision to CSUN. The Miners opened strong in both duals, earning early points on court two. The duo of Mila Popovic and Kennedy Llewellyn secured a three-set win against Santa Clara, while UTEP also grabbed the opening point against CSUN before ultimately falling.
Saturday saw UTEP drop a 4-1 decision to Oregon and a 5-0 match to No. 20 Boise State. Against Oregon, Paulina Acuna and Madison Hill delivered a straight-set win on the top court, marking the program's first point against the Ducks in the series.
Academic Excellence Continues
UTEP continues to shine in the classroom as Paulina Acuna and Madison Hill were named to the 10-member 2026 Conference USA Beach Volleyball All-Academic Team.
Hill, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, earns her fourth consecutive selection with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She has consistently been recognized among the conference's top academic performers and was the recipient of the prestigious Dr. Louis Robbins Award for Excellence in 2025.
Acuna earns her first career All-Academic honor while maintaining a 3.91 GPA as a multidisciplinary studies major. She has been a steady academic standout throughout her career.
Since the program's inception in 2023, UTEP has placed two student-athletes on the All-Academic Team each season.
CUSA Pair of the Week Honors
Krista Paegle and Averie Threet made program history this week, earning Conference USA Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week honors for the first time since the program's inception in 2023.
The duo was dominant at the Arizona Invitational, posting a perfect 4-0 record on Court 3 without dropping a single set. Their performance included a straight-set victory that secured UTEP's lone point against nationally ranked Arizona, along with two Conference USA wins.
Paegle and Threet enter the weekend on a four-match winning streak and hold a 6-2 record as a pair over the past two weeks.
Team Notes
- UTEP enters the weekend at 7-17 (3-4 CUSA)
- The Miners have found success on Courts 2 and 3 (10-14), their top-performing flights
- Court 5 follows closely with a 9-15 record (.375)
Top Pairs
Individual Leaders
- Paulina Acuna: 12-12 (4-3 CUSA), includes 5-0 record on court 2
- Madison Hill: 11-12 (4-3 CUSA), includes 4-0 record on court 2
- Krista Paegle: 10-14 (4-3 CUSA), includes 8-8 record on court 3
- Averie Threet: 10-14 (4-3 CUSA), includes 10-10 record on court 3
Scouting the Field
#4 Texas (20-6)
- 16-6 mark against ranked opponents.
- The Longhorns are coming off a dominant showing at the Longhorn Showdown, where they swept No. 19 Washington, Tulane, and Houston Christian.
Houston Christian (8-21)
- Grace Melnick / Paige Palmer 10-12 on courts 1 (2-3), 2 (8-7), and 3 (0-2)
Series History
- #4 Texas: UT leads 2-0
- HCU: HCU leads 3-0
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