UTEP volleyball claims the Southwest Showdown Tournament title with an unbeaten 3-0 record. The Miners secured three consecutive victories over the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (TAMCC), and Texas State last weekend at Memorial Gym.
Senior outside hitter Ema Usokovic was named the tournament MVP. Junior setter Mattie Gantt and sophomore setter Kalia Kohler also gained recognition for their play, with spots on the All-Tournament Team.
Friday: UTEP Defeats UTRGV 3-1
The Miners opened the tournament Friday night with a 3-1 victory over UTRGV. UTEP controlled the first two sets, 25-20, before dropping the third 25-21. They bounced back to close out the match 25-16 in the fourth set.
Uskokovic led with 13 kills and a .303 hitting percentage, while senior middle blocker Danika Washington added 13 kills, hitting .647. UTEP registered a strong .384 attack percentage as Gantt and Kohler combined for 45 assists.
Saturday: UTEP Outlasts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3-2
On Saturday, UTEP faced a tough challenge from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, narrowly winning 3-2 in a five-set nail biter. UTEP took the first set 25-23, however TAMCC answered back with a 25-13 win in the second and carried its momentum to take the third set 23-25.
Down 2-1, the Miners regrouped, winning the fourth set with a decisive 25-16 victory, tying the game 2-2 forcing a fifth and final set. In the fifth set, UTEP started strong with a kill from junior outside/rightside hitter Sara Pustahija and a block from junior middle blocker Kaya Weaver that led the charge. Crucial kills from Uskokovic, Washington, and freshman Lauren Perry boosted the miners to an 8-6 lead.
Kills from junior outside hitter Torrance Lovesee and Weaver kept UTEP in the driver’s seat. Following a timeout, UTEP concluded its comeback with a kill from Uskokovic, winning the set 15-10 and the match 3-2, capturing a hard-fought victory.
Uskokovic again led the team with 13 kills. UTEP out-hit TAMCC with 56 kills to 52 and served eight aces to the Islanders’ five. Gantt and Kohler combined for 42 assists in a well-rounded offensive performance.
Sunday: Miners Sweep Texas State 3-0
UTEP capped off the tournament with a commanding 3-0 sweep over Texas State on Sunday. The match started off competitively, with UTEP falling behind early, until the Miners went on a run offensively. Providing UTEP with a 6-4 lead was an ace from Lovesee and kills by Pustahija and Uskokovic.
UTEP held on to the lead with help from Perry and Washington raising the score to 20-16. Yet Texas State rallied to a comeback and gained a 24-23 lead, however, UTEP kept it close. Lovesee tied the set 24-24, and a back-and-forth onslaught ensued, with both squads fighting to score the set points. 10 total set point opportunities occurred, with neither team wanting to falter. Finally gaining the upper hand was UTEP with blocks by Uskokovic and Washington, followed by a kill from Gantt and an oppositional error to secure an intense 34-32 victory.
In set two, the Miners capitalized on Texas State’s errors and led 6-3 in the contest. Texas State displayed resiliency once again, tying the game at 13-13 but kills by Uskokovic and Perry put UTEP back in control. Key blocks from Weaver and a lethal kill form Uskokovic clinched the set 25-23, propelling UTEP 2-0.
The Miners entered set three firing on all cylinders with an ace by Kohler plus kills by Lovesee and Uskokovic increased the lead. UTEP displayed a suffocating defense tallying up blocks and shutting down the Bobcats’ attempts. UTEP maintained the lead, a final block by freshmen Luvina Oguntimehin and Hannah Crowe capped off a dominant 25-13 win, granting UTEP the 3-0 match sweep over Texas State.
UTEP now hits the road taking on Florida International University to kick off Conference USA play in Miami, Florida, Friday Sept. 27 and Saturday Sept. 28.
Christian Garza is a contributor and may be reached [email protected].
