The UTEP volleyball team entered the season optimistic that despite the loss of five key seniors from its record-breaking 2025 squad, this would be a year about reloading as it tries to maintain the NCAA tournament standard it set the last two years.
So far that’s holding true.
UTEP dropped its opener two weeks ago in five sets to a powerhouse Tulsa team that is now 7-0 and owns a victory against No. 10 Creighton, and now has reeled off four straight wins. That sets it up well for the tournament it co-hosts with New Mexico State, the Borderland Classic, which UTEP opens at the rival Aggies Thursday night at the Pan Am Center in Las Cruces.
”They’re a fun group and they are getting
better,” UTEP coach Ben Wallis said of his team.
The key has been the expected emergence of players who were key backups last season as sophomores stepping up in their junior seasons (Luvina Oguntimehin, Lauren Perry, Landry Braziel and Hannah Crowe) along with emerging freshman Mackenzie Davis and established senior stars Kalia Kohler and Ema Uskokovic.
”They’re sophomores who were transitioning into being juniors, it’s been a lot, and a lot of fun, to see their roles change, to see them take a step forward to be a dominant player, a go-to player,” Wallis said. “Some of them are starting show progress in that.”
Perry said she’s proud of how the team is coming together.
”We’ve meshed really well,” she said. “Our new freshmen have come in and immediately understood what our program is about and have adapted really well. … I’m excited to play anywhere I can, to help the team any way I can and everybody on our team is just like that.”
The Miners will try to put that on display in Las Cruces and El Paso.
UTEP at Borderland Classic
The UTEP volleyball team hosts the Borderland Classic Thursday, Sept. 10 through Sunday, Sept. 13. Matches will be at Memorial Gym in El Paso and the Pan American Center in Las Cruces. In addition to the hosts UTEP and New Mexico State, other teams include UC San Diego and Pacific.
Borderland Classic teams, records
- UTEP (4-1)
- New Mexico State (4-3)
- Pacific (4-2)
- UC San Diego (2-4)
Borderland Classic schedule
Thursday, Sept. 10
UTEP at New Mexico State, 6 p.m. MT, Pan American Center, Las Cruces, ESPN+
Friday, Sept. 11
Pacific at UTEP, 6 p.m. MT, Memorial Gym, El Paso, MW+
San Diego at UTEP, 6 p.m. MT, Pan American Center, Las Cruces, ESPN+
Saturday, Sept. 12
San Diego at UTEP, 3 p.m., Memorial Gym, El Paso, MW+
Pacific at New Mexico State, 6 p.m., Pan American Center, Las Cruces, ESPN+
Sunday, Sept. 13
Pacific vs. San Diego, 11 a.m., Memorial Gym, El Paso
TV channel: ESPN+
UTEP at Borderland Classic tickets
Tickets for matches in Memorial Gym are available through UTEP at the door and run from $10.68 to $21.43. For the Saturday match, $26 gets admission to the volleyball match and the football game against Texas Southern at 7 p.m.
Tickets for matches in Las Cruces’ Pan American Center are available through New Mexico State and are $10.59.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Reloading UTEP volleyball team ready for showcase of Borderland Classic
