by El Paso, Texas- The UTEP Volleyball team defeated LA Tech. 3-0 (26-24, 25-14, 25-23) on Sunday in Memorial Gym.
“We played aggressive in a way that caused them to make a lot of errors but we were also able to earn a lot of points ourselves” head coach Holly Watts said. “Our goal was to earn a lot of points and we did that so I am pleased that we came out and took care of things that way.”
Photo by Patrick Reese
UTEP’s offense was led by Talia Jones as she captured 19 kills and a .300 hitting percentage. The senior also contributed seven digs. Lindsey Larson added to the offense as she secured 33 assists while adding seven digs, five kills and four blocks.
The match began with an intense first set as the teams fought point for point tying the score four times. With the score knotted at 24, a LA Tech error followed by a kill by Jones gave the first set to the Miners.
The Orange and Blue continued its success in the second frame as UTEP claimed the set 25-14.
Both teams fought hard in the third set, but the Miners remained focused as they did not allow LA Tech to take a lead in the entire stanza. With a powerful kill by Tatum Winter, UTEP would ultimately take the final set 25-23 and the match 3-0.
Naomi Whitehari (Navajo Nation) added 6 digs for the Miners in her final home game.
UTEP will now travel to Houston, Texas to face Rice for the second time this season on Thursday at 5 p.m. (MT). The Miners will conclude conference action on Saturday against Western Kentucky in Bowling Green, Ky. at 11 a.m. (MT).
