El PASO, Texas – Louisiana Tech started on fire but couldn't keep that momentum in a three-set defeat to UTEP on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gym.
 
LA Tech (6-16, 1-9) came out hitting over .500 and jumped out to an 8-3 lead that forced UTEP (17-6, 9-3) to call their first timeout of the weekend. The Miners fought back into the set and eventually tied it up at 12. Lauren Albrecht set up a kill by Carla Esquer, giving her 1,000 career assists, to give the Bulldogs back the lead. The first set would see the score tied 13 times and the lead change sides on four occasions before the Miners took the final two.
 
The Bulldogs continued to battle throughout the second set, but 10 errors would doom Tech. LA Tech jumped to a 4-1 lead before a three-point run by UTEP tied it up. The Miners would get five straight to grab a 17-12 lead they wouldn't relinquish.
 
The third set was all UTEP from the beginning. After falling behind early, LA Tech fought back to tie it off a crosscourt spike by Jailen Hurley and an ace by Ashley Taylor. UTEP came back with three points to take the lead, and the Bulldogs would only be able to get within two once. The Miners finished on a 7-2 run to take the match 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-16). 
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Amber McCray
 
"UTEP is a well-coached team that does a phenomenal job playing within their system no matter the personnel. I felt we came in and competed much better today and stayed aggressive majority of the match, but we went away from that at too many different spurts in the match to beat such a physical team. We had much better offensive performances from Carl, Ashley, Sydney, and Jailen today, and that gave us a chance. We will look to build on that and finding more consistency moving forward."
 
  
NOTABLES

• Albrecht finished with 13 assists, giving her 1,005 for her career. 
• Krohn finished with 12 assists, the 13th time she has reached 10+ this season.
• Sydney Jackwin finished with eight kills and 11 digs to lead the Bulldogs. Esquer finished with seven kills on a .357 hitting percentage.
• Esquer, Taylor, and Sa'Myah Medford finished with two blocks apiece.

 
UP NEXT
LA Tech returns to the friendly confines of Thomas Assembly Center to take on No. 25 Western Kentucky on Oct. 27-28. The Bulldogs host the Hilltoppers in the annual Dig Pink game on Friday at 6 p.m.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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