The UTEP volleyball team lost many of its big pieces from a year ago, but they haven't lost their grit and will and they haven't lost their recent ability to beat their I-10 rivals from New Mexico State.
The Miners used every bit of that grit and will to pull out a 45-minute first set that opened the Borderland Classic, then they rode the momentum to a 27-25, 25-17, 26-24 Thursday night at the Pan American Center.
With the win UTEP completed a season sweep over the Aggies, their second consecutive season sweep to give them a four-game win streak in this old series. UTEP has won six of their last seven matched against their biggest rivals.
The Miners moved to 5-1 while NMSU fell to 4-4, with half those losses coming to UTEP.
UTEP wins set 1 27-25
The first set was an
epic, lasting 45 minutes and featuring a number of long rallies before the Miners completed a comeback for a 27-25 win.
New Mexico State eased out to a 21-17 lead before UTEP rallied, winning seven of the next eight points to earn two set points at 24-22. The Aggies fended them off, including winning a two-minute rally to tie it at 24-24, but UTEP eventually won 27-25 after a kill from freshman Mackenzie Davis.
Both teams were hitting over .250 before late long rallies that dropped their percentages to .188 for UTEP and .140 for NMSU.
UTEP dominates second set 25-17
The Miners opened up a quick 10-5 lead in the second set and forced an Aggie timeout in the second half, then kept New Mexico State at arm's length the rest of the way for a 25-17 win.
UTEP comes back in third set to finish match, 26-24
The Miners rallied from a 23-19 deficit with four straight points and seven of the last eight to complete a sweep.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP completes season sweep of NMSU to open Borderland Classic
