Faces off the field: UTEP volleyball's Alianza Darley

Four years ago Alianza Darley came to UTEP as new volleyball coach Ben Wallis' first recruit for a program that had been poor prior their arrival.

The Las Vegas, New Mexico native was a natural basketball player then who never played club volleyball before suddenly deciding to change sports and take her only Division I volleyball offer to UTEP.

The Miners have made a steady rise since her first season in 2019 and last season Darley, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter, was second-team all conference for the NVIC semifinalists.

UTEP, 17-12, finishes its regular season with a non-conference match against New Mexico State on Wednesday and then is expecting another bid to the NVIC.

How exciting is this time of year for a program having the success you have had?

It's exactly what we play the year for. After last year and being able to make the postseason tournament, it's really exciting to say that UTEP volleyball is allowed to play in the postseason. Before it wasn't anything heard of. It's rewarding we get to continue our season.

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How has this year progressed?

It's a pretty good year. We're young, we had a few bumps and stuff, but an important part, when you are a young team, being able to overcome it. We showed a lot of growth in areas compared to last year. We were a much more veteran team last year; this year I'm proud of our younger girls being able to step up and compete right away.

How has being a senior on a younger team affected your role?

I definitely have to take on a bigger leadership role than I did last year. I did have a leadership role last year but I felt like all of us were older, more veteran, we knew what it took. This year having to guide the girls and letting them know, this is how winning teams do it, this is how we practice, this is how we play, this is what we need to do. All of that stuff was new to me and I struggled with it at the beginning, but that's OK because I feel like it helped me become a better leader.

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How did switching sports from basketball to volleyball after high school come about?

Coach Ben was the only coach looking at me to play volleyball. I never wanted to play volleyball, it wasn't something I wanted to get recruited for. It's nice knowing Ben saw something in me I didn't see in myself. It's actually really rewarding. I always tell Ben, I just came on this visit to see El Paso, see another campus. I had my mind up that I was going to play basketball, then I came here and saw volleyball was something I might want to try.

It still shocks me to this day I'm playing college volleyball instead of basketball. It's been rewarding and challenging. It's helped me change myself and be able to attack a new sport I hadn't played before, never trained for, never competed. It was rewarding and challenging and it helped me grow in ways I never thought I would have.

What was the allure of playing college volleyball?

I wanted to prove it to myself you can go out and do something new if you work hard and put your mind to it. My freshman year, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe I chose volleyball.' It was a challenge adjusting to Division I volleyball. It was super different than what I was used to.

The competition level. It's nothing compared to high school, adjusting to playing volleyball at such a high level, such a fast pace. I wasn't used to that.

How fun has it been to see the improvement of the program since you arrived?

It's so crazy looking back four years ago to my freshman year, how different as a team we were, culture-wise, how we practiced, how we were teammates. Everything is so different. Since that main group when I first came in compared to now, there has been so much of a change in culture and how we practice, how we play, how we want to win.

That's been rewarding. Every girl who has been a part of UTEP has helped shape this program. It's nice, especially for the girls my freshman year, my sophomore year, even last year to see how this program has developed and how fast it has.

How does El Paso compare to Las Vegas, New Mexico?

It's exactly the same as home. It wasn't anything new, I'm from New Mexico. The people here are great, everyone is so nice. When I see people out, they're like, 'Oh, you play volleyball for UTEP.' They are so nice to me and supportive. I love the El Paso community.

Because of the COVID year you still have a season of eligibility. What's your plan for next year?

I'll be back for a fifth year.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Faces off the field: UTEP volleyball player Alianza Darley