The UTEP volleyball team got off to a busy start as the team competed in three out-of-state games between Friday, Aug. 25, and Saturday, Aug. 26.   

The first day featured a double header between the Washington Huskies and the Grambling State Tigers.  

During the first set of the game versus the Huskies, Washington won the first round with 25 points and UTEP had 23 points. While the Washington team might have had an advantage at the start, UTEP picked up the pace, winning the second set, leaving Washington with 19 points. The third match ended up with UTEP winning the round while Washington came close with 23 points. In the fourth round, the Miners found themselves with 22 points.   

By the final round, the Miners found themselves winning with 15 points, leaving Washington with a mere nine points. Ending the first session of the Southeastern Showdown Games, UTEP found itself to be victorious with a total of 110 points, while Washington lost with a total of 101 points.   

The second and last match of the day, UTEP and Grambling State started with a win for the Miners as the team kept the Tigers at bay with only 19 points. By the second set, the Miners kept up the pace and finished the set with a total of 25 points, while Grambling got close with a total of 21 points. The final set, the Miners left Grambling with 16 points.   

The UTEP Miners won this shorter match with a total of 75 points, while Grambling lost with a total of 56 points. The Miners started the tournament undefeated and with a strong winning score.    

The second and last day of the Southeastern Showdown Games was between the UTEP Miners and the Southeastern La. In the first match, the Miners won while Southeastern got 20 points. In the second match, the Miners continued their pace and won its second set. Southeastern won set three, leaving the Miners close with a mere 23 points. By the fourth match, the Miners retook their previous position and ended the match. In total, the Miners won with a total of 98 accumulated points while Southeastern La lost with a total of 85 points.  

“I’m really pleased with our weekend overall,” said head coach Ben Wallis. “We are a really physical, high scoring, high flying, tough defensive team and that’s really cool and exciting to see.”   

The Miners head back home for the Borderland Invitational Tournament to face off against the San Francisco Dons and Arizona State Sun Devils Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. 

Katy Ruiz is a contributor and may be reached at [email protected]