EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) - UTEP women's will travel to NMSU to take on its I-10 foes in the first game of the rivalry series. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11 at the Pan American Center. Both enter with a 1-1 record to open up Conference USA, each recording a win against Sam Houston while each collecting a loss against LA Tech. UTEP (8-5 overall, 1-1 CUSA, 5-2 home, 3-3 away) UTEP will continue its road stint playing three straight away games ahead of the Battle of I-10. While the past few weeks have been challenging away from the Don Haskins Center, the team feels this experience will prepare them for a tough environment in Las Cruces against a strong opponent. "We just have to take the experience we have gained over the past few weeks and learn from it," said UTEP forward Luisa Vydrova. "We practice finishing strong and getting things done. We stay focused, stay locked in and finish till the end - and I know that'll continue against New Mexico State." Vydrova returns to the hardwood after suffering an injury during non-conference play, feeling 100% ahead of the Saturday. This is a huge plus for the Miners returning one of its star players. However, while they've gained one, they've lost another. Another impact player, Dunja Zecevic, went out with an apparent knee injury during the Miners final non-conference game and will not return until further notice. Since Zecevic's departure, other players have stepped up including Ivane Tensaie. In recent weeks the senior has hit two game winning threes as well as a 14-point second half to help UTEP add to the win column. "I just feel like I need to carry my weight and give this team belief," said Tensaie. "Saturday is no different, we want that one really bad. It's really just about fight and who wants it more, that's what it'll come down to. It's going to be a team effort, it can't be just one person on an assignment. It's got to be a collective effort." Miners are shooting 34% from the 3-point line, 42% from the field averaging 37 rebounds a game as a unit. NMSU (8-7 overall, 1-1 CUSA, 4-1 home, 3-4 away, 1-2 neutral) NMSU is excited to return home to host its first opponent at the Pan American Center since December 20th. Where the Aggies really see a drop off in-particular when on the road is off the glass. NMSU is averaging 30 rebounds a game, with a -4 margin against its opponents. Returning home in addition to making rebounding its main focus during preparations, Aggies feel confident they'll be able to improve in this area come Saturday. "Just like us UTEP likes to play fast too," said guard Madi Gewirtz. "They do a lot of like scattering, so we're just going to have to stick to our game. We've got to focus on the game and know when to crash and go get the boards so we can outlet it." Gewirtz has put up an impressive performance during her freshman year, earning the programs first ever CUSA Freshman of the Week. She leads the group in blocks collecting seven on the year. Other leaders include none-other Molly Kaiser dominating nearly every other category including assists (41), steals (30) and points (306). The guard averages 20.4 points a game setting the tone of most competitions from the tip. Kaiser stresses the importance of doing so Saturday more than ever. "We're going to push teams to play their best every single night, and I think they [UTEP] do that to teams too," said Kaiser. "They have grit, they have people who like to bond together and they're not satisfied. They're not going to quit, just like how we don't like to quit." NMSU is finishing 32% from 3-point line sinking 44% of field goals.