The UConn women’s volleyball team went head-to-head with two of the Big East’s most competitive teams this weekend. Despite back-to-back losses, the team demonstrated intensity and determination among challenging opponents.
The first matchup of the weekend was a difficult loss for the Huskies as they were unable to secure a win against St. John’s. From the jump, the Red Storm were dominant on the court and did not back down to the Huskies. While UConn followed closely behind for the first half of the set, a massive scoring drive by St. John’s changed the game. The Red Storm were able to gain momentum with a 16-11 score. Following the run, the Huskies were unsuccessful in new advances and St. John’s was able to close out the first set 25-18.
The second set followed an almost identical pattern to the first. Although the Huskies kept up with the Red Storm in the beginning of the set, they soon lost their groove. A massive run in the middle of the set allowed the Red Storm to shut out the Huskies 25-13. The third and final set mirrored the previous and even produced an identical score of 25-13. St. John’s is currently ranked No. 1 in the Big East conference and may be the biggest challenge the Huskies will face all season.
Despite struggling through the matchup, the Huskies were not discouraged and held their heads high for the second contest of the weekend.
Seton Hall provided a difficult start for the Huskies. Right away, the Pirates were able to get a scoring run to push UConn back 2-9. While UConn was able to make a couple of advances, the start of the series allowed Seton Hall to gain a significant lead. From there, UConn was able to make one push to close the gap to 9-14 but struggled to maintain this momentum. Despite making a few advances, the Pirates were able to run away with the win in the first set 25-16.
The Huskies were more successful in the second set as they were able to close the scoring margin within the early plays. The Huskies began trailing closely on the heels of the Pirates as they closed the gap to 10-12. Despite their efforts, Seton Hall was able to make a breakaway later on in the set to bring them to a 25-18 win. Duo Taylor Pannell and Cera Powell demonstrated several attacking plays throughout the set to bring the Huskies closer to victory. The two have been leading the team since the early games and will be a force to watch as the Big East series continues.
The Huskies went into the third and final set with a newfound intensity and proved to be a relentless force on the court. Right off the bat, the Huskies tied up the match 2-2 and went on to a run. The tide quickly changed as this was the first time the Pirates trailed UConn throughout the matchup. Seton Hall soon found themselves unable to produce an attacking play as the Huskies mastered their scoring drives. The Huskies went to make another push and forced the Pirates to trail even further behind at 13-7. UConn was creating exceptional attacking plays on the court and dominated the majority of the matchup. With UConn leading and the match winding down, Seton Hall was not ready to finish without a battle. After a long and hard fought contest, Seton Hall finished the match with a 28-26 win. Although it took the Huskies a moment to get in the groove, their dominant scoring drives did not go unnoticed.
The Huskies faced some setbacks this weekend, but they also remained steadfast in their hustle on the court. Team leaders such as Emma Werkmeister were able to pick up the team and drive everyone to the finish line. Looking ahead, the squad has their second round of Big East doubleheaders next weekend. This time, UConn will battle it out with Marquette and DePaul.
