The UConn Huskies extended their winning streak after sweeping their matchup against the Providence Friars at home on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The Huskies continued with their best season yet with this being their third consecutive conference win.
The Huskies came into the first set with hopes of using their positive momentum to extend their winning streak. The Friars went into the match wanting to end their dry spell and notch their first conference win. However, this would prove to be a very hard feat for Providence.
The first set started off with several errors from the Huskies that gave Providence an early 5-4 lead. The Huskies were quick to turn the game around with kills from senior Doga Kutlu, junior Hanna Tylska and redshirt sophomore Audrey Rome, putting UConn up 9-4. Providence responded, going in a 4-0 run. Aces from sophomore Grace Maria gave the Huskies the lead by one point. The Friars continued to struggle with errors and the Huskies scored more kills thanks to junior Emma Werkmeister, extending UConn’s lead 17-11. Following this run, Werkmeister had to leave the court due to an injury. The Friars tried to use the opportunity for a comeback, but after scoring just two points, freshman Dajah Williams nailed a kill and put a stop to their run. This kept the Huskies in the lead, 21-18. A final kill from Rome gave UConn the first set 25-21.
The Huskies started the second set with force, going on a 4-0 run. Two kills from Rome and an ace from freshman Mckenna Brand extended the Huskies lead to 8-4. Graduate student Taylor Pannell took the lead in the second set on both the offensive and defensive side, putting the Huskies up 15-7. Pannell continued to lead the team, recording her first ace of the season. A combination of errors from the Friars and a final kill from Tyslka put UConn over the edge as they took the second set 25-18.
From the start, the Huskies took the lead of the third set. Maria was in the spotlight and nailed several aces and kills, putting the Huskies up 8-3. Tylska stepped in to score three kills as consecutive errors from Providence helped UConn gain a larger 13-7 lead. UConn continued to assert their dominance as Maria scored three consecutive kills and put the Huskies up 18-10. UConn kept control of the match as a final kill from freshman Loren Winn won the Huskies the third set by 25-17.
With this win, the Huskies remain undefeated at home and extend their winning streak to three games. They will look to keep this momentum going as they face Butler in Indianapolis next Friday for their fourth conference game.