Box Score SAN MARCOS, Texas – UTEP pulled off a 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 20-25, 23-25) upset against Texas State Saturday morning at Strahan Arena.
 
The setback snaps a 15-match home winning streak for the Bobcats, marking the first loss at home since playing Rice Sept. 3, 2019.
 
"We just got outworked today," said head coach Sean Huiet. "We have to know that everyone will be giving us their best so if we do not come ready for that, we will be playing catch up. Today, UTEP wanted it more than we did."
 
Junior setter Emily DeWalt turned in her second consecutive double-double with 34 assists and a team-high 15 digs. She also had eight kills, two blocks, and an ace. Sophomore outside hitter Caitlan Buettner paced the team with 11 kills and totaled seven digs and two blocks. Senior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott and junior outside Janell Fitzgerald each had 10 kills, and junior middle blocker Jillian Slaughter led the team with five blocks, including two solos.
 
Sophomore OH Alianza Darley led all players with 17 kills and hit .382 on the day. She was also one of three players with four blocks, although sophomore middle Kenidy Howard led the team with five blocks. Freshman middle Irbe Lazda was next with 13 kills (.310) and had four blocks, while junior outside hitter Paulina Pérez Rosas logged a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. Other standout performances were junior outside Serena Patterson who had five aces and junior libero Ha'ahula Crisostomo who had a match-high 22 digs.
 
Texas State edged UTEP on the block with a 10-9 advantage, but it was the Miners who won every other statistical measure. UTEP registered 57 kills on a .226 hitting percentage while the Bobcat offense continued to struggle with a 46-kill match hitting .156. UTEP had nine aces, 56 assists and 55 digs, and TXST had four aces, 42 assists, and 53 digs.
 
The Bobcats lead the all-time series vs. UTEP, 12-6 and are 8-3 overall when playing at home.
 
Set 1
UTEP jumped out to a 14-9 lead behind a 7-0 run. TXST later put together a 5-1 burst to trim the lead to two points, 20-18, but the Miners scored five of the final eight points to win the first set 25-21. TXST hit .086 in the set and was led by DeWalt who had three kills, four assists, and five digs.
 
Set 2
Texas State scored three unanswered points to grab its first lead of the set at 6-5, and moments later tallied five unanswered points for a 12-8 advantage. TXST stayed in control as DeWalt's veteran play resulted in a kill that highlighted a 5-0 run to make the score 18-11. UTEP fought its way back into the set by scoring six of the next eight points (20-17, TXST), and a late push at the end with four unanswered points made the score 24-23. DeWalt closed the door on the Miners with another kill which was her fourth of the set and seventh of the match and the  Bobcats evened the match with a 25-23 victory.
 
Set 3
The Miners led for majority of the set. TXST tied the stanza at 13, but UTEP came back with a 3-0 run of their own. The Bobcats then pieced together another 3-0 run to tie the set at 16, but UTEP closed the frame with a 9-4 margin to win 25-20 and take a 2-1 match lead. UTEP hit .444 in the set, while the Bobcats hit .138.  
 
Set 4
UTEP jumped out to a 9-5 lead highlighted by a 5-1 run to force a TXST timeout. After regrouping, the Bobcats scored seven of the next 10 points to tie the set at 12 and pressured the Miners to call timeout. The home team then scored one more point to take a 13-12 lead that capped a 4-0 run. The Miners upped the ante however, as they responded with a 5-1 run that included four unanswered points to take an 18-14 lead and forced the Bobcats to burn their final timeout. Texas State continued to fight and trimmed the lead to one point on three different occasions, including 24-23 after fighting off three match points. However, UTEP outlasted the home team for the 25-23 victory.  
 
UP NEXT
Texas State will host Houston Baptist Sept. 18-19 at Strahan Arena.
 
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