The University of Connecticut women’s volleyball team split its weekend road games this weekend, winning its first match against Villanova and falling in its second to Georgetown. With this split, UConn is now 12-6 overall on the season and 4-2 in Big East conference play.
The weekend started with a match against Villanova on Friday, where the Huskies claimed a 3-1 victory. The first set was tight until about halfway through, when the Wildcats started to pull away, going on a 5-0 run to claim victory. Ready to battle back, UConn held a lead throughout the second set, which featured 10 Caylee Parker kills, six of which provided crucial down the stretch to tie the match.
The next set saw UConn and Villanova trade runs, with the Wildcats leading 23-20 late. But with great teamwork and a few attacking errors from Villanova, the Huskies were able to take the set and a commanding 2-1 lead. The fourth was all Wildcats early, as they led 17-11 at the midway point. However, UConn brought the set to a 19-19 tie, thanks to three kills from Jasmine Davis. Each team fought to take a lead, trading scores until the Huskies were finally able to pull away and win the last three points to claim the match.
Parker finished the day with a season-high 18 kills, while Davis finished with 10. Madi Whitmire recorded 38 assists in the match.
The next day, UConn settled in to face another Big East rival, the Georgetown Hoyas. Coming into the match, Georgetown was 0-4 in conference play and hungry to claim its first win of the season. The first set was contested early, but thanks to some kills from Parker and Kennadie Jake-Turner, UConn began to pull away and eventually took a 1-0 lead.
The second set saw the Hoyas in control early, but once again the Huskies staged a comeback and took a one-point lead halfway through. However, Georgetown was able to steal the momentum back, going on a run of its own to tie the match at one set apiece. UConn went on a 5-0 run to start the third set, but then were on the wrong side of a 13-3 Hoyas streak that flipped the match and gave Georgetown a 2-1 lead on the day.
The final set was a battle, with any lead being ripped away just as quickly as it was built. The teams continued to fight late into the bout, as UConn was able to stifle a 24-22 Georgetown lead and lengthen the game. A Parker kill gave the Huskies a 26-25 lead, but the Hoyas fought off match point and claimed its own victory 29-27. UConn was led by a season-high 15 kills from Jake-Turner, and both Davis and Parker recorded double-doubles in the losing effort.
The Huskies will return to the Gampel Pavilion on Thursday to face Providence, the first match of a four-game homestand concluding this weekend.
