As the 2025 season comes to a close, The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) volleyball team makes its final strides of success. Under the guidance of Head Coach Ben Wallis, the team ended its season with a 25-4 overall record, becoming Conference USA (C-USA) Regular Season Champions for the first time with a 15-1 conference record (.862). They are also ranked 16th in the NCAA women’s volleyball rating percentage index (RPI) ranking as of Dec. 2. 

Since joining the team within the past six years, Head Coach Ben Wallis has established a new standard for the volleyball program, growing together as both players and individuals. Many of these Miners are also in their final year of athletic eligibility, ending their last seasons with focus, determination and a range of emotions.  

As the senior players reflect on their time at UTEP, they shared how the team has impacted them, what they will take away and what they hope the future will look like for themselves and future miners. 

Middle blocker Danika Washington is a graduate student, pursuing her master’s in leadership studies. She became a Miner as a junior in 2023 but has since become a defensive/offensive powerhouse for the team. She ended this season with 104 blocks and a .366 hitting percentage, earning her First Team All-Conference honor and a C-USA Offensive Player of the Week title during week 10. Washington felt proud of her performance, feeling the impact the team has made during her last year. One of her main takeaways is positivity, despite whatever challenges may come. 

“I am really big on being positive, and I preach a lot of positivity to my team and Coach Ben [Wallis]…I think I got that a lot from him because in high, stressful moments, or games that mean a lot, you just have to relax and be positive sometimes, and I think my team appreciates that too from me,” Washington said. 

She explained that, as a graduate student, her sports and academic lives are better balanced with time and experience. As Washington explores a possible future between going pro and finding a career to settle down for, she shared advice for future Miners joining the team. 

“Be patient. Patience is really big, especially as a younger player… Just be patient and let it ride. As long as you work hard and keep that positivity, it’ll work out for you,” Washington said. 

Outside hitter Ema Uskokovic is also a graduate student studying business administration. She became a Miner in 2021 and is now a redshirt senior for the team. She has since shown her growth and resilience as a player, even becoming a recipient of the C-USA Jim Castañeda Postgraduate Scholarship earlier this year. Uskokovic explained how the team has overcome many challenges this season and how she felt being a part of it. 

“I just feel proud. I feel fulfilled and happy to see the support we have managed to get from the city of El Paso and the amount of people we have at our games. I loved joining the program and helping it grow, and for it to keep growing,” Uskokovic said. “It’s something I’ll definitely carry for the rest of my life…the feeling of being a part of something that’s bigger than me.” 

Uskokovic also acknowledged the mixed emotions of  playing with her teammates in their final season. 

“I think I found some comfort knowing this is not my last year…but I am definitely sad to see all the seniors leave. Those are some of my closest friends. I’ve been here the longest with them, so [it’s] kind of emotional,” Uskokovic said. 

Uskokovic shared that she’s grown not just as a player, but as a person, giving her own advice to future Miners who join the program. 

“Enjoy anything you do and just keep working hard. If you keep working hard and trusting the process, you’ll succeed no matter what,” Uskokovic said. 

Middle blocker Kaya Weaver is a senior majoring in kinesiology. She first joined the team in 2022 and was named the 2025 C-USA Preseason Player of the Year and earned Second Team All-Conference honors. She achieved 144 kills with a .420 hitting percentage across 19 games before suffering an injury to her Achilles that cut her last season short. 

Despite not being able to play the rest of the season, Weaver said she is proud of her team’s ability to bounce back from the unexpected. 

“I feel like I am not fulfilled with how I finished because it’s my senior year, and I won’t get this year back, but I’m very happy and proud of my team, because we’ve dealt with a lot of injuries this year,” Weaver said. “I feel like a lot of teams can’t really bounce back and deal with all that pressure.” 

Reflecting on her time at UTEP, Weaver recognized the impact her team has made outside of campus. 

“Everywhere we go, we get noticed…especially being in El Paso, it just means a lot. There’s a lot of girls that know you; there’s a lot of people that recognize you at the grocery store, and they want to say ‘Hi’ and they want to say, ‘Good job’ or ‘Good luck,’” Weaver said. “I think it’s just a really good testament of what we’ve done.” 

Weaver attributed her growth to Coach Wallis, explaining her hope for future Miner volleyball players to experience his teaching. She also finds comfort in knowing she’ll play volleyball again once she heals, hoping to go pro in the future. 

“I do want to play professionally because I know I can still represent UTEP that way. It sucks that I’m not going to play with this group of girls because they are amazing. They are so talented,” Weaver said. “I just love them a lot. We are sisters. We are a family, through everything.” 

Setter Mattie Gantt is a senior majoring in kinesiology and joined the team in 2022. This regular season, Gantt achieved a .382 attack percentage and defended with 166 digs.  She was named the of the Week alongside her junior setter teammate, Kalia Kohler. As she plays in her final weeks, Gantt shared her own takeaways. 

“I’ve learned a lot about myself [and] I’ve learned a lot about the mental game of sports and competition. One piece of advice Ben Wallis told me is that you don’t have to feel your best to play your best,” Gantt said.   

While she said her future after UTEP is still unknown, Gantt expressed her thanks to her family and friends who supported her. She also shared her hopes future Miners who join the team. 

“As future Miners come in, I just hope they continue the way that this culture has been built, and continue that through their years here at UTEP,” Gantt said. “It really is something special, and it’s really something us seniors cherish.”  

Outside hitter Sara Pustahija is a senior majoring in operations and supply chain management. She first joined in 2022 and ended the regular season with 253 kills, 178 digs and a First Team All-Conference honor. Pustahija acknowledged the initiative she has taken this season, as well as her team’s growth.  

“Being a veteran and being a senior, that kind of carried the weight. I think me and Torrance [Lovesee] both stepped up with a lot of injuries this year. It’s kind of sad we’re leaving now. All these other seniors [and I] want the younger girls that are here with us now to succeed even more; to make history that’s even more impactful,” Pustahija said. 

Pustahija emphasized the importance of networking and teamwork, skills she plans to use as she tries to go pro in her career. She expressed her thanks to her family and friends overseas and hopes future Miners build strong relationships within the team.  

“Trust your teammates and build the connections. That’s what helps you survive here,” Pustahija said. “I feel like our coaching staff does an amazing job at giving them our culture and supporting them in every single way.”

Outside hitter Torrance Lovesee is a redshirt senior majoring in biological science. As a leading offensive team member, she finished her last regular season with 320 kills and 190 digs across all 29 games of the semester. She earned a First Team All-Conference honor and became the 14th Miner to pass 1,000 kills during her time at UTEP. However, Lovesee emphasized the importance of putting the team first.  

“I’ve expressed that a lot to my coaches. As long as my performances can help us win and gets us to the end of the season…knowing that our team has accomplished so many things together, that’s what matters to me more,” Lovesee said.  

Lovesee recognized the impact the volleyball program has had before her career at UTEP and is happy to set a new standard for UTEP volleyball. She shared how she’s grown to be more open with her team over the years.   

“Mentally, I’ve always been so internal and always had to do things by myself,” Lovesee said. “Being part of a team that does everything together – it took a while, multiple years to finally get out of my shell and just be able to be vulnerable with my teammates and allow them to help me.”  

Lovesee expressed the challenge of wanting to go to medical school after her time at UTEP, but remains confident in her persistence and support from others. It’s that support that she hopes younger Miners know they’ll have on the team, both on and off campus.   

“My family and friends have been nothing but supportive. They have done more than I think they know,” Lovesee said. “The people here, too. Our El Paso fans, coming and supporting, whether we win or lose, because they know how much we appreciate that, it speaks volumes.”  

As her final season comes to a close, Lovesee shared one final piece of advice for future Miners.  

“Just being yourself…having a personality that is never changing. Whether it be our team or any team you try to play volleyball for, you just have to be yourself,” Lovesee said.  

Wallis, who arrived at UTEP in 2018, has helped lead the women’s volleyball team to where it is now. The last seven seasons have seen them reach new milestones and accomplishments, including Wallis being recently named as C-USA Coach of the Year. Wallis expresses his pride in the team and what he hopes they’ll accomplish in the future. 

“You couldn’t have written a better story for this group, even through all of the tough injuries. I’m so incredibly proud of all of them, not just our seniors,” Wallis said.  

Although these Miners are preparing for their lives outside of UTEP, Wallis is grateful for the chance to have been a part of it. 

“There’s no amount of words that I can give justice to those five seniors for what they’ve done…they knew what they wanted, and they went out and wrote their own story.” 

The Miners went on to be selected for the NCAA DI Women’s Volleyball Championship Tournament on Nov. 30, actualizing all their hard work and talent at UTEP. 

Alan Acosta is a contributor and may be reached at [email protected]