EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The UTEP volleyball team saw its historic season come to an end after it was beat in straight sets (25-14, 25-22, 25-22) by Wichita State in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) tournament championship game inside Memorial Gym on Tuesday.
“I’m just so proud of our group,” UTEP volleyball head coach Ben Wallis said. “I have a lot of appreciation for them and how much they’ve given to this city, this institution and this program. This team was so hungry to win, they just got so out of character. Unfortunately, execution was not on our side today when it came to the way we normally play.
UTEP couldn’t get any attacking offense going. The Miners had 38 kills on 111 total attacks, which resulted in a low .135 hitting percentage. Wichita State had a .292 hitting percentage with 40 kills on 89 total attacks. Attacking errors also hurt UTEP as they racked up 23 of them in the contest against Wichita State.
UTEP held the statistical advantage in aces (3-2) and blocks (6-4) but were outhit in kills (38-40) and hitting percentage (.135 – .292).
Alianza Darley led UTEP in kills with nine on the night. Torrance Lovesee and Marian Ovalle totaled up eight kills.
Wichita State was led by Emerson Wilford in the kills category as she racked up 11 of them. Sophia Rohling had eight kills and Natalie Foster had seven kills in the contest.
“WSU is a good team that’s well-coached and they had a good plan tonight and they earned it,” Wallis said. “We expected to win, and we didn’t earn it and that’s unfortunately the way our season ends, but I’m so proud of this team. I have a giant amount of love and admiration for this team, and I will never forget this team.”
UTEP finishes its 2023 season with a 25-10 overall record while putting together its deepest postseason run in program history. UTEP volleyball also sold-out Memorial Gym in back-to-back-to-back matches. Great season for the Miners and they’ll be looking to build on it in 2024.
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