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RUSTON — The Louisiana Tech volleyball team will take on Conference USA leader UTEP to conclude a four-game homestand that begins Oct. 12 inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
When: Saturday-Sunday, October 12-13, 2:00 PM Central Time | Noon CT
Location: Ruston, Louisiana (Thomas Assembly Center)
Statistics: LATechSports.com/Stats
Series record: UTEP, 19-7
Last matchup: L, 0-3 (10/21/23, El Paso)
About Louisiana Tech (6-13, 0-6)
The Bulldogs had two close games against Sam Houston heading into the midweek CUSA contest. Tech would lose both games 1-3.
In the game against the Bearkats, Louisiana Tech tied the program record for most blocks in the rally-scoring era against Sam Houston. The Bulldogs had four solos, 28 assists and 18 total blocks. This was the highest since scoring dropped from 30 to 25 points per set. His 28 block assists were the third-most in program history, including side-out points.
Charlize Williams has been one of the best middle blockers in the country this season. Her 74 blocks rank fourth in Conference USA and 46th nationally. Her set average of 1.17 ranks fourth in the league and 101st in the country. She surpassed 250 career blocks in her first game against Sam Houston and currently has 262 career blocks. Williams has five games with six or more blocks this season.
Louisiana Tech has been one of the top teams in Conference USA in digs per set over the past four seasons. After leading the league in digs with 15.02 points in 2023, the Bulldogs are second in the league in digs with 15.47 points per set (75th in the nation), fifth in 2022 (14.56 points) and in 2021. He came in 2nd place (16.54 points). His total dig count of 1,021 points ranks him third in the league. 33rd in the league. With the departure of Mackenzie Johnson, Riley Steubing has stepped up to lead the Bulldogs. The sophomore ranks sixth in the league with 3.94 digs per set and ninth with 201 total digs. Isabelly Benjamin was second on the team with a total of 154 digs.
About UTEP (16-2, 6-0)
The Miners are one of the top teams in the country, ranking in the top 10 in six categories. UTEP comes to Ruston having lost just one set against CUSA and 12 all season.
Kaya Weaver and Danica Washington dominated the midfield for the Miners. Weaver leads the league and ranks fourth in the country with 1.54 blocks per set, and his 94 blocks rank second in CUSA and third nationally. Washington ranked in the top 10 in the conference with a season average of 0.98 blocks and 60 total blocks. Both middles are averaging over 1.74 kills per set, and Weaver’s batting average of .433 is tops in the league and 12th in the country.
As a team, UTEP ranks sixth in the NCAA in blocks per set and fifth in total blocks. His marks of 3.02 and 184.5 are tops in the league.
The top three attackers all average over 2.50 kills per set. Emma Uskokovic scored a 3.13, followed by Torrance Lovesey and Weaver each with a 2.56.
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Head Coach Amber McCray
“UTEP is a very balanced team, at the top of the league in terms of standings and various statistical categories. They obviously have a similar balance of firepower to New Mexico State, which they just recently played. However, all but the best two teams are by far the middle of the league in terms of kills and batting efficiency, limiting offensive options and supporting blocking as the first line of defense. It’s going to be important to provide a more aggressive service, and we need to attack without fear. We’re not afraid to take risks to score, but this is our last weekend at home. So I’m looking forward to watching us compete hard this weekend and continue to grow in the right direction as a team.”
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The Bulldogs are 7-19 overall against UTEP. The Bulldogs last won in El Paso in 2017, and Tech also won in Ruston in 2016.
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