The UConn volleyball team will hit the road this weekend as they make their way to South Orange, N.J. and Washington D.C to take on Seton Hall and Georgetown. This will be the second time Connecticut faces both of these teams. Earlier this season, the Huskies beat them both at home.
On Friday, Nov. 8, Connecticut will take on the Seton Hall Pirates. Last time the two programs came face to face, UConn won 3-1. The Pirates’ season has not improved since they last faced the Huskies. They have lost six out of their last eight games and own a 3-9 conference record. However, the Pirates have gained some momentum, sweeping Xavier last Sunday.
Seton Hall will hope to continue in this positive direction when they face the Huskies on Friday. Their roster includes graduate student Perri Lucas, who leads the Pirates with 193 kills. She scored a match high 10 kills in their last game against Xavier. Another important player will be junior Asli Subasili, who leads the program in both service aces, 33, and blocks, 82. The Pirates hope to capitalize on their momentum and keep themselves from falling into another slump.
The Huskies will then head to Washington D.C, to take on Georgetown. Earlier this season, UConn swept the Hoyas, 3-0, in a game that started the Huskies six game winning streak. Georgetown has had a difficult conference run and currently stands with a 2-10 record. The Hoyas just broke out of a seven-game losing streak after beating DePaul last week.
The Hoyas roster features freshman Dionna Mitchell, who leads the team with 282 kills and 24 service aces. She has won Big East Freshman of the Week honors twice this season. They will also bring strong defensive players such as junior Vaughan Anoa’i, who leads the team with 77 blocks. Much like the Pirates, the Hoyas will be looking to keep moving in a positive direction.
The Huskies have been having a nearly perfect season this year. They are one of two teams to remain undefeated at home this season. The program has had several players this season playing instrumental roles. One of these players is freshman Loren Winn, who is the most recent recipient of Big East Freshman of the Week honors. Winn is tied in second place in blocks, 66. In the Huskies’ last two games, Winn accumulated 22 kills and 6 blocks. With 13 of those kills coming from the match against Butler.
Another crucial player to the team has been graduate student Taylor Pannell, who was named to the Big East honor roll this week. Pannell leads the program with 231 kills and is tied with Winn for second in blocks. She averaged 3.57 kills and 1.29 blocks per set last week. She has been an integral part of the squad, putting up strong performances in every game.
Both matches will be broadcasted on FloSports. The Huskies face the Pirates on Friday, Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. and will face the Hoyas on Sunday, Nov 10 at 1 p.m. UConn will be hoping to keep their momentum going and add two more wins to what has been a very successful season so far.