The UConn volleyball team will welcome LSU, the University of Hartford and Iona in the annual Dog Pound Challenge at the Guyer Gym in the Field House on Friday. (Jason Jiang/The Daily Campus)
The UConn volleyball team will welcome LSU, the University of Hartford and Iona in the annual Dog Pound Challenge at the Guyer Gym in the Field House. Typically the matches are played in Gampel Pavilion, but the construction on the roof has forced the team to improvise.
The Huskies (2-1) opened their season Friday, Aug. 25, dropping three out of five sets in a loss to Sacramento State, but they bounced back to defeat the University of New Hampshire in four sets and St. John’s in straight sets.
Redshirt sophomore Kayla Williams led the team with 12 kills during their matchup against UNH, while senior Danielle Cabel led the team with 11 kills against St. John’s.
Junior libero Kennedy Arundel was hailed as the Defensive Player of the Week for the American. Her impressive performance against UNH, with 19 digs and a .219 hitting percentage, helped her achieve the honor.
Looking forward to the Dog Pound Challenge against Hartford (0-3), LSU (3-0) and Iona (1-1), UConn will look to feed off their impressive opening weekend.
They will open against Iona Friday at 12:30 p.m. The Gaels are led by Claire Archibald, who leads the team with 27 kills through their first two matchups. Keep an eye out for freshman Jamie Smith, who was named MAAC Rookie of the Week after she averaged 2.14 digs, 2.07 kills and 1.29 assists during the Bucknell Tournament.
UConn will then take on LSU Friday at 7 p.m. The Tigers are off to a roaring start thanks to their three-headed monster of Taylor Bannister, Gina Tillis and Toni Rodriguez, who have each compiled 25 kills. Raigen Cianciulli leads the team in digs with 41.
The Huskies will wrap up their weekend against Hartford Saturday at 2 p.m. The Hawks are off to a difficult start as they are currently 0-3, having won only one set. However, this is a team with talent that UConn should not overlook. They are led by Abby Nash who leads the team with 27 kills, while Katy Henchy leads the team in hitting percentage at .254.
The Sigma Alpha sorority in the UConn department of Animal Science will be collecting donations at each game to distribute to local animal shelters.
Michael Logan is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at michael.logan@uconn.edu.