Exiting the regular season with a 16-2 conference record, UTEP volleyball slashed through Conference-USA competition ultimately falling in the semi-finals of the C-USA tournament.
In the 2024-2025 season, the Miners ended with an overall 26-4 record. Before the post season, Memorial Gym saw a 15-2 record, falling only to the C-USA No.1 seed, Western Kentucky University (WKU) (28-6, 18-0 C-USA).
From Nov. 22 through24, Memorial Gym was the host for the 2024 C-USA tournament. UTEP was ranked as the No. 2 seed, trailing behind WKU.
Day One:
On Nov. 22, Florida State International, Middle Tennessee State University, Liberty University, and Sam Houston University were all eliminated. WKU, Kennesaw State University, UTEP, and New Mexico State University (NMSU) continued to the second day.
UTEP’s first matchup was against Liberty University. In the regular season, UTEP swept the No. 7 seed, Liberty, and the tale rang true again in the tournament. In set one, UTEP won with a dominating 25-18 win because of Liberty errors throughout the set.
In set two, UTEP continued this momentum and won in a more commanding fashion of 25-13. Although in the beginning of the second set, Liberty was in the lead, back-to-back aces by junior middle blocker Kaya Weaver, kills from junior outside hitter Ema Uskokovic, junior outside/rightside hitter Sara Pustahija, and senior middle blocker Danika Washington helped bump the score up.
To seal the deal, Washington and Pustahija tied the score, and UTEP surged ahead with contributions from freshman outsider/right side hitter Landry Braziel and junior outside hitter Torrance Lovesee.
In set three, UTEP won a close competition of 25-22. UTEP was able to capitalize on their blocking and attacking abilities, and Liberty errors as well.
Day Two:
On Nov. 23, Kennesaw and UTEP were eliminated. Making it to the finals was New Mexico State and WKU.
In a five-set matchup, UTEP fell to the No. 3 seed NMSU. Though UTEP swept NMSU in the regular season in the Battle of I-10, the Miners competitively fought against the Aggies but got eliminated from the tournament on the second day.
With back-and-forth surges from both teams, UTEP claimed set one, 25-22. Early in the match, UTEP was down two points yet with contributions from Braziel and Lovesee, UTEP closed the gap.
UTEP extended its lead, 19-11, however, NMSU caught momentum and landed a 22-21 score in the final moments of the game. Braziel, Weaver, and Uskokovic all landed crucial kills to help UTEP win the first set.
In response, NMSU won the second set with a score of 25-16. Starting strong with an 8-4 lead, UTEP could not catch up.
With errors from UTEP, NMSU cruised to the set tying win.
To shake NMSU’s win, UTEP claimed the third set 25-17. A 4-0 lead by the Miners kept NMSU on their toes and didn’t allow them to take control.
The Aggies once again responded to the UTEP win and fired the cylinders on the fourth set winning 25-21. Key attacks from Weaver, Washington, and Lovesee led the Miners.
However, even with fierce attacking, UTEP couldn’t gain the lead against NMSU, which ultimately forced the fifth set.
Forcing a fifth set, NSMU won 15-12 and punched their ticket to the finals. Although Uskokovic and Washington lead both offensively and defensively, the Miners lost their grasp to the final tournament game.
Day Three:
Nov. 24 was a battle between WKU and NMSU. With a 3-1 set victory, WKU won their 17th NCAA C-USA Tournament Championship. This marks WKU’S sixth straight conference title. Now, WKU will head to the NCAA Selection Show on Dec. 1.
UTEP wrapped up its season with an impressive 27-5 record, an improvement from last year’s 25-10. Throughout the season, the team had several accomplishments such as snagging a record high of conference wins in UTEP program history. Additionally, several Miners received post-season awards which reflects their dedication this season.
Sofia Sierra is the sports editor and may be reached at [email protected]
