The UConn women’s volleyball team traveled down to Athens, Georgia to compete in the Classic City Clash series. Ultimately, the Huskies walked away with two losses and one win under their belt to start off their season 1-2. The 15-women lineup proved to meet a challenging opponent as the team made their way down south for the three-game series.
Coming off of a 31-game lineup in the 2022 season, the Huskies closed out the year with a 17-14 record. To ring in the new academic year, the Huskies are set with a strong number of returning players coming back to the court. With four freshmen joining the squad this season, the team has a comfortable balance of new players mixed with the upperclassmen.
Although this past weekend’s series began and finished with a loss, the team still had a winning game and a number of standout players to highlight from the trip. FSU made quick work and began the set with a strong performance. The opening set proved to challenge the Huskies from the jump as two kills by sophomore Jess Perry were followed by a doubling of four kills by the Seminoles.
As the match continued, Connecticut was able to lock down 15 points but was dominated as the Seminoles finished the first set with a 10-point lead.
As the second set began, FSU was able to secure the first two points of the match but UConn was not far behind. The Huskies and Seminoles bounced back and forth in the lead; as one team scored, the other soon followed. Connecticut and Florida fought hard for the lead as the teams found themselves with a tied score of 7-7 early on in the match. From there, FSU was able to gain momentum and ultimately widened the point gap for the trailing Huskies. UConn soon found themselves stuck with 12 points while Florida gained more traction. Ultimately, Connecticut was able to secure an additional six more to end with an 18-point finish to FSU’s 25.
The third set earned UConn a chance to find their groove to close the point gap seen in the past two matches. With tight competition, both teams found themselves vying for the lead spot. Both the Huskies and the Seminoles alternated, dominating the lead. Early on in the match, the Seminoles trailed Conn. 8-9. Although UConn was able to retaliate against their opponent’s consistent kills, the Seminoles ultimately took the win.
The performance from this past weekend wouldn’t have been possible without the standout presentations from the leading scorers. Sophomore Emma Werkmeister was the top scorer of the game with an astonishing 12 kills and two aces. Following closely behind was Jess Perry, raking in eight kills. The sophomore duo has already made leading strides in the season so far. With just three games under their belt, the duo alongside Mya Ayro and Cera Powell will be the group to watch. Ayro went on to make five kills and Powell was able to secure four.
Looking ahead, the Huskies will be taking on the Hofstra Lions at home on Friday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. Connecticut should be prepared to meet an even match as Hofstra’s record is similar to the Huskies. The Lions will be walking into the matchup with three wins out of their seven games. From there, UConn will be walking into an eight-game season before taking on their Big East series.
