The UConn women’s volleyball squad is on top of the world after securing their second consecutive conference win against Providence. The mojo is back for the Connecticut crew as they have been dominating their Big East opponents.
Last weekend, the group stormed Butler in a dynamic 3-1 matchup. Luckily for the Huskies, the Friars were the second team to fall to the Connecticut group. However, the Huskies’ success was not due to luck. UConn has spared no effort to secure the win and its diligence is finally paying off.
The first set, however, did not swing in UConn’s favor. Despite securing an early lead, the Friars were in close pursuit of their opponent. The duo grappled back and forth through much of the game and found themselves tied at 20-20. Following an old pattern, the Huskies could not hang on to the final points of the match. The Friar’s pulled away with 25 while UConn was left with 22.
The Huskies have often found themselves in a trailing position this season and refrained from panicking. One thing the group has excelled at is keeping their cool, especially when following closely behind an opponent early on in the match.
Moving into the second, Providence secured the first point but UConn was not thrown off its game. With composure, the Huskies matched the first point. Junior Doga Kutlu and redshirt junior Taylor Pannell were dynamic in this set as they were able to guide the team in kills.
The Huskies then established a significant scoring margin of 20-15 as they were nearing the final plays of the game. More often than not, the final points are long fought over as both teams exert their greatest athleticism and most dynamic play. However, the Huskies brought the second set to a swift end and nailed the final plays of the contest. In a fiery scoring drive, the group dominated a 25-17 victory.
With a 1-1 tie, the stakes were high. Despite this pressure, UConn soared. The group was animated from the jump and aced a 4-0 lead. With a bit of leeway, the squad was able to relax and settle into a scoring groove. With a 10-5 score and a significant lead, the Huskies were able to call the shots on the court. Most commonly, the crew has been fighting to keep up with an opponent but the tables turned this week as UConn took a turn in the driver’s seat. Connecticut once again brought the set to a quick end as they aced a 25-22 win.
With a 2-1 lead, UConn could end the match with just one more set victory. The team was after the win from the first point with a fierce kill by Mya Ayro. Pannell then matched the point with another kill to give the crew some scoring momentum. The Friars were set back early on in the contest as the Huskies developed an 8-3 gap. Despite this, Providence put up a fight for the final set and tied the score 12-12. The pressure was now on as the Huskies were quickly challenged. However, another scoring run was all the group needed to once again put them on a trajectory toward success. As the score reached 20-16, the Huskies could see victory.
The final push allowed the squad to reach their second victory in a 25-19 set win. The crew has been patiently awaiting the feeling of success all season long. Finally, the Huskies have gotten into a groove and found their footing amongst their conference counterparts.
However, the squad can’t get too comfortable as they will be facing Creighton, DePaul and Marquette this weekend. A victory this weekend will be much tougher for UConn as Marquette and Creighton occupy the No. 2 and No. 3 conference seeds. DePaul follows behind at No. 7. Despite these rankings, UConn has been able to topple two higher-seeded Big East teams so far which should give them the confidence to repeat the narrative.
