RUSTON – Following four straight home matches, Louisiana Tech will now play six of its next eight matches away from home starting this weekend with a pair of games against UTEP in El Paso, Texas.
 
MATCH INFORMATION
Dates/Times: Friday, Oct. 17 (7 p.m. CT) | Saturday, Oct. 18 (1 p.m. CT)
Location: Memorial Gym (El Paso, Texas)
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (7-13, 0-6 CUSA)
LA Tech suffered a pair of straight-set losses to preseason favorite WKU this past week­end.  Jailen Hurley combined for a team-high 10 kills while Giulia Bonifacio and Grace Luevanos each tallied nine. Hurley has led the Bulldogs in kills eight times this season and in three of the last four (had seven in the second matchup versus the Hilltoppers.  The fourth-year senior is closing in on 600 career kills as a Bulldog (at 589).
 
Riley Steubing registered 10 digs in both matches against WKU, giving the libero 282 for the season which ranks fourth in CUSA and 66th in the country (averaging 3.86 digs per set). She has led the Bulldogs in digs 17 times this season and is only three digs shy of reaching 700 for her collegiate career.
 
Gabrielle Hairston has played in all 21 sets in CUSA play, having amassed 41 kills which is tied for the team lead while owning a team-best .245 hitting percentage. The outside hitter also has seven total blocks in league action.
 
Sydnee Carter has also played in all 21 sets in conference action while also being the lone Bulldog to start all 20 matches this season. The freshman setter has totaled 304 assists for an average of 4.28 assists per set. She has recorded double-digit assists in 16 matches, including the last five.
 
ABOUT UTEP (16-2, 6-0 CUSA)
The schedule gauntlet continues for LA Tech as they now face UTEP who is undefeated in league play with only two losses on the year.  The Miners, who are receiving votes in the AVCA top 25 poll, has dropped only one set in their six CUSA wins.
 
UTEP ranks top 10 in the country in both hitting percentage (.299) and opponent hitting percentage (.152).  The Miners have hit over .300 in nine of their 18 matches and have four players with 100+ kills led by Torrance Lovesee with 174 (2.95 per set).  Second on the team in total digs is Kaya Weaver with 144 who has an incredible .420 hitting percentage, which ranks first in CUSA and 20th in the nation.  Doing the passing is the setter combo of Kalia Kohler and Mattie Gantt who have combined for 567 assists.
 
Defensively, only four teams this season have hit over .200 against UTEP.  Six Miners have 25+ total blocks, anchored by Danika Washington who has 61.0 to her credit.
 
THE SERIES
LA Tech trails in the all-time series versus UTEP, 7-21. The Bulldogs won the first ever meeting in 1994 in the North Texas Tournament played. The Miners won the second meeting in 1999 at the SFA Invitational. The next nine matchups came when the two programs were opponents in the Western Athletic Conference (2001-04).
 
LA Tech and UTEP have since matched up 17 times as CUSA opponents, playing at least once every year since 2013 (except for 2020 when the season was moved to the spring of 2021). The Miners have won 12 straight in the series with LA Tech's last win coming in 2017 (one of its two all-time victories in El Paso, Texas).
 
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