El Paso, Texas – The UTEP Miners women’s volleyball squad endured a hard‑fought five‑set battle against the Air Force Falcons on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gym. After taking the opening set 25‑18, the Miners slipped to a 3‑2 defeat, falling 18‑25, 25‑23, 22‑25, 28‑26, 15‑7.
Match summary
The Miners started strong, converting a 7‑7 tie into a commanding lead and finishing the first set with a .469 hitting percentage. Freshmen Ema Uskokovic, senior Landry Braziel and junior Luvina Oguntimehin each contributed key kills to secure the 25‑18 opening set.
Air Force answered in the second set, erasing a 5‑1 early deficit and later a 23‑21 advantage to claim the set 25‑23. Braziel continued to produce offensively, while Uskokovic added crucial points as the teams traded momentum.
UTEP regained control in the third set, building a 22‑16 cushion after a mid‑set surge. Uskokovic paced the offense, and Oguntimehin and Mackenzi Davis added vital kills. The Miners hit .387 in the set and took it 25‑22, moving within one set of the match win.
The fourth set proved decisive. Neither side led by more than three points, and the set featured 20 ties. After a back‑and‑forth battle that saw the score tied at 26‑26, the Falcons captured the final two points to win 28‑26 and force a deciding fifth set.
Air Force carried momentum into the final set, using an 8‑2 run after a 5‑5 tie to pull away. UTEP could not halt the Falcons’ attack, and the match closed with a 15‑7 victory for Air Force.
Individual performances
Ema Uskokovic recorded a career‑high 22 kills, leading the Miners. Landry Braziel posted a career‑best 13 kills, while Mackenzi Davis contributed 14 kills and Luvina Oguntimehin added 12. The Miners tallied a total of 73 kills across the match.
Looking ahead
UTEP will travel next weekend for a two‑match series at San José State on Oct. 29 and 30. Both contests will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.
The loss leaves the Miners at 13‑9 overall and 5‑5 in Conference USA play, while Air Force improves to 8‑13 overall and 4‑6 in Mountain West competition.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
