UTEP's 2026 home volleyball opener was fittingfor a championship program.
The Miners, who are in their first year in the Mountain West Conference, were celebrating the 2025 Conference USA title and NCAA Tournament team with banner unveilings.
In addition, a sold-out crowd was on hand to celebrate the newly remodeled Memorial Gym, which brought together the team's loyal fans, support from other UTEP programs such as football and men's basketball and a match vs. I-10 rival New Mexico State.
Ultimately, the final celebration was a five-set win over the Aggies, a match that captured the team's and fans' emotions. UTEP lost two of the first three sets, then rallied to win the last two sets for a 25-22, 13-25, 24-26, 25-22, 15-13 victory
The Miners won
their season opener in the first game played in the renovated gym.
The crowd showed up early when the doors opened at 4:30 p.m. and there was a definite positive energy from the fans as they entered Memorial Gym. Fans mingled around and shared their thoughts about the renovations.
As the Miners made their comeback in sets four and five, UTEP fans were re-energized and helped give the Miners a boost.
What to know about renovated Memorial Gym
A crowd of 3,176 was the first to experience a transformed Memorial Gym, which underwent extensive renovations during the offseason as part of the Club Memorial project.
Completed in time for the 2026 campaign, the upgrades include new lower-level chairback seating, LED lighting, an upgraded sound system, Taraflex competition flooring, enhanced MinerVision production equipment and several additional fan experience improvements.
The renovations were made possible through donor support, led by a $1 million gift from longtime El Paso dentist Dr. Bob McFadden, along with additional community contributions that helped surpass the project's fundraising goal.
Fans emphasized that the gym upgrade matched the volleyball team's impact as the top UTEP sports program.
"The improvements looked amazing and it adds to the validity of program and shows that people care for this team," Miners fan George Garcia said. "The volleyball program has done so much for El Paso and then to win the first game against New Mexico State is special."
What did UTEP coach Ben Wallis say
"I'm really impressed once again by El Paso, our university, our students, our administration and everyone involved with our marketing team for helping sell out our first home match of the season against our rival, NM State," said coach Ben Wallis, whose program has qualified for the postseason in four of the past five seasons.
"There's a lot of excitement surrounding our program right now, and I think Club Memorial is a big part of that. It was both exciting and heartwarming to see the reaction from our donors and so many people connected to our program when we unveiled the new spaces this week.
Club Memorial stands out now as one of the best venues for college volleyball in the conference.
"Everyone who comes into Memorial Gym this season is going to be impressed by the environment that's been created here, and Club Memorial has the potential to make this one of the most exciting places to play in the Mountain West Conference," Wallis said.
The coach added that his team — selected by the coaches to finish first in the Mountain West Conference — had just four practices in Memorial Gym before Sunday's match. A new scorer's table will also be a new feature of the remodeling later in the season.
"We had such great support from our fans, the other athletic programs, the administration," Wallis said. "It was a fun night and the match was intense."
Between the celebration of the renovated Memorial Gym and a thrilling five-set match, fans certainly made their voices known throughout with lots of clapping, lots of chanting "UTEP, UTEP," and lots of positive reinforcement for the Miners.
'An investment' in volleyball
Miners season-ticket holder Suzanne Crow, the coach, and the players proved that performance matters. El Paso fans showed their support for UTEP's success on the court.
"It's a big deal for the community and the school to help the volleyball program and after the success in recent years, this was the perfect time," Crow said.
Added fellow fan Jennifer Sanchez: "It's nice to see UTEP athletics investing in a program, which has so much potential. The women past and present play so hard for this program and now they are being rewarded."
What UTEP players Mackenzi Davis and Kalia Kohler said
Mackenzi Davis, UTEP's outside hitter, seemed right at home on the renovated gym. She had 11 kills in the match against NMSU.
"It feels really good giving back to the community that gave that court," Davis said. "It was good to get the first win of the year with all the renovations having taken place."
Kalia Kohler, a setter, highlighted the most significant improvement at Memorial Gym — the new floor. It's hoped the new surface will improve performance and reduce match-related injuries.
"The new floor is amazing, it's better to jump on, to dive on," Kohler said. "It was a different setting for me from previous years, but it feels like our own."
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpastimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 'It was intense': UTEP volleyball wins thriller in upgraded Memorial Gym
