El Paso’s UTEP Volleyball team, under the leadership of Head Coach Ben Wallis, has revealed its 2026 non-conference schedule. The Miners are set to face a formidable lineup of opponents, including multiple teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament and several conference champions. This challenging schedule includes six teams that ranked within the top 50 of the NCAA RPI rankings last season.
The Miners will kick off their preparations with two road exhibition matches, starting at Arizona State on August 15, followed by a game at Texas Tech on August 22. The official season opener will take place at the NMSU Tournament from August 28-30, where UTEP will face Tulsa in Las Cruces on August 29. The Miners will then return to El Paso for their home opener against NM State at Memorial Gym on August 30.
Upcoming Tournaments and Matches
September will see UTEP participating in the third annual Southwest Showdown, hosted by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi from September 3-5. During this tournament, the Miners will compete against Texas State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and UTRGV.
Following this, UTEP will host the Borderland Classic from September 10-13. The event will begin with a match against NM State in Las Cruces on September 10, before the Miners welcome Pacific on September 11 and UC San Diego on September 12 to Memorial Gym. The tournament will conclude with a neutral-site match between Pacific and UC San Diego in El Paso on September 13.
UTEP will then travel for a midweek matchup at TCU on September 16, followed by participation in Baylor’s tournament on September 17-18, where they will face UIW and Baylor in Waco, Texas. The non-conference schedule will wrap up with a home game against Arizona on September 22 at Memorial Gym.
Strength of Schedule
The 2026 schedule includes 12 non-conference matches, with four home games and eight road or neutral-site matches. UTEP will encounter two reigning conference champions during this period. Arizona State, the 2025 Big 12 Champion, will host the Miners in an exhibition match, while Tulsa, the 2025 American Athletic Conference Champion, will be UTEP’s season-opening opponent.
The Miners’ schedule is further strengthened by matches against teams that finished among the top in the NCAA RPI rankings last season. Arizona State was ranked sixth nationally in RPI, with TCU at 20, Baylor at 23, Tulsa at 37, Arizona at 38, and Texas State at 45. UTEP concluded the 2025 season with a No. 19 RPI ranking, showcasing their competitive edge.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
