The UTEP Miners volleyball team wrapped up their Sun City Classic showing with a clean sweep against Oral Roberts this past Saturday, dominating the courts with a three-set victory (25-12, 25-17, 25-16), as reported by UTEP Athletics. Landry Braziel was front and center in this victory, not just by delivering a killer performance with an .846 hitting percentage but also setting a new school record for a three-set match in the process. Braziel's stat line was nothing short of impressive, and to be clear, the previous record was held by ex-UTEP standouts Christie Murphy and Megan Brock.
UTEP didn't just walk away with a win; they hauled in a trio of accolades for their players, with Landry Braziel, Danika Washington, and Sara Pustahija being named to the All-Tournament Team, which, for the record, included three players from UCLA, with Cheridyn Leverette snagging the MVP title, as obtained by UTEP Athletics. The match itself was markedly one-sided, showcasing UTEP's dominance from the get-go as they established an early lead in the first set, and despite a briefly energized effort from Oral Roberts in the second set, the Miners regrouped and surged ahead to decisively take the set and the match.
Digging into the stats, it wasn't just Braziel's stellar .846 hitting percentage that led the charge; the Miners excelled across the board with setters Alexis Massey and Kalia Kohler dishing out 26 assists, and the team overall hitting a blistering .459. Defensively, libero Fuka Sekita held the back row intact with a team-high 10 digs, while at the net, Braziel shared match-high honors with Luvina Oguntimehin, both recording five blocks apiece.
Postgame reflections had head coach Ben Wallis offering praise for his team's adaptability, especially "We've had to manage some unusual injury situations, but this group tightened up, supported each other, and went out to compete," Wallis said, according to UTEP Athletics. The efficiency Wallis alluded to was evident in the near-perfect stats sheet and, quite frankly, with a quick turnaround for the Miners with a series of road games, including a face-off with Arizona in Tucson, and speculatively, a host of Miner fans are expected to be in attendance to support the team.
