After a difficult 2023 season that ended with an 8-22 record, the UConn women’s volleyball team is looking to start the season strong as they head into the weekend. The Huskies are set to face Long Island University, Youngstown State University and Sacred Heart University.
Connecticut will bring a variety of new and returning players to this upcoming season. A key returning player is graduate student Taylor Pannell, who led the team with 81 blocks last season. She also ended the season with 218 kills and 13 service aces.
This season will also see the return of junior Emma Werkmeister. In the previous season, she led the team in both total points scored and kills, with 340 kills and 392.5 points scored throughout the season.
The team will also introduce five new freshman players: McKenna Brand from Lucas, Texas, Dajah Williams from Williamstown, N.J., Anna Herman from Vincennes, Ind., Loren Winn from Dallas, Texas, Ashley Ballou from Eden N.Y. and transfer student Hanna Tylska from Navarro College in Corsica, Texas.
The Huskies will start the weekend by facing the Long Island Sharks for the second time in history on Friday, Aug. 30. The last time the Huskies faced LIU was in September 2007, where they won 3-1 at home. The Sharks ended last season with a 13-19 record and are looking to continue the momentum into this season.
Next, the Huskies will take on Youngstown State for the first time ever. After a strenuous 2023 season where the Penguins finished with a 9-20 overall record, they will be looking to make improvements and start their season strong. They will be bringing back junior Abbie Householder, who led the team in 292 kills, 36 service aces and 350 total points. Lastly, UConn will face Sacred Heart. The two teams have a lengthy history compared to the others and have faced each other five times since 2008. UConn has often come out victorious in these encounters, holding a record of 4-1 with three of these wins being at home. The two last faced one another in the beginning of last season, where the Huskies won in three straight sets.
All games will take place at the UConn Volleyball Center. The LIU match will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, followed by Youngstown at 5 p.m. on Saturday and finishing with Sacred Heart at 2 p.m. on Sunday. All games will also be streamed via UConn Plus.