The Huskies faced disappointment as they fell to the Seton Hall Pirates on Friday night in South Orange, N.J. This was the second time this season the two programs came face-to-face. However, unlike the first time, this time it was the Pirates who came out victorious, beating UConn 3-0.
Connecticut opened the score in the first set with kills from junior Hanna Tylska. However, it was the Pirates that took an early lead 7-4 after going on two scoring runs. Kills from freshman Loren Winn and junior Emma Werkmeister closed the gap to 7-6. This was Werkmeister’s first kill since coming back from an ankle injury earlier in the season. The Pirates capitalized on UConn’s struggles with attack errors and put up strong offensive plays of their own to bring them up 15-9. Once they were in control, the pirates did not let up. Despite kills from redshirt sophomore Audrey Rome and Werkmeister, the Huskies could not catch up. Seton Hall took the lead of the game, winning the first set 25-17.
The Pirates kept their momentum going into the second set, taking an early three-point lead. The Huskies responded with kills from Rome, Werkmeister, Winn and graduate student Taylor Pannell taking the lead 6-5. Both sides traded points back and forth and the game came to a standstill at 10-all. Seton Hall retook their lead, 13-10, as Connecticut continued to struggle with errors. The Huskies continued to chase after the Pirates as kills from Rome, Werkmeister and Pannell helped them close the gap to one point. The Pirates responded by going on a 5-0 run, bringing them up 22-16. In the end, UConn was unable to assemble a comeback and lost the second set 25-16.
In the third set, it was once again Seton Hall who took control of the score. The Pirates opened the score with two runs that put them ahead 7-2. The Huskies attempted a comeback as both programs suffered from attack errors, cutting the Pirates’ lead to just two points. Seton Hall then began to pull away, extending their lead to 22-16 after several kills. The Huskies responded, scoring six consecutive points. Kills from Winn, Tyslka and Pannell tied the match at 22-all. Though things looked hopeful for the Huskies, it was the Pirates that ultimately won the third set 25-23.
On Sunday, the Huskies made their way to Washington D.C. to face the Georgetown Hoyas. UConn came into the matchup looking for redemption and that is exactly what they found as they beat Georgetown 3-1.
The Huskies pulled ahead in the first set, with kills from senior Doga Kutlu giving them a 5-3 advantage. From the start, the Hoyas struggled with both attack and service errors, mistakes that Connecticut capitalized on. UConn continued to build on their 15-7 lead after scoring six consecutive points with kills from Kutlu and Pannell. Georgetown found their footing, scoring several kills and closing the Huskies lead to 21-19. UConn responded with kills from sophomore Grace Maria, Pannell and Winn to put them over the edge. The Huskies won the first set 25-19 and took the lead of the game.
UConn kept the momentum going in the second set and took an early 7-2 lead after kills from Tylska and Rome. The Hoyas responded by scoring five consecutive points and tying the game at 7-all. But a service error from the Hoyas set the Huskies on a run of their own as they retook the lead, 12-8, after kills from Maria, Tylska and Winn. UConn continued to build their lead with kills from Kutlu, Tylska and Rome, bringing the score to 19-14. Georgetown finally responded and began to chip away at the Huskies’ lead by scoring several consecutive points. Though the Hoyas came close to retaking the lead with a score of 23-22, the Huskies were not done yet. Final kills from Tylska and Rome gave the Huskies the second set 25-23.
The Hoyas came into the third set determined to turn the game around. They took an early lead of 5-3 after scoring several kills. The Huskies tied the game at 5-all after a kill from Tylska. However, Georgetown was determined to win. They went on an 8-0 run putting them up 15-6. UConn worked hard to close the gap and stayed in the game with kills from Kutlu and Pannell that closed the gap to 19-14. The Hoyas once again struggled with attack errors which fueled an 8-0 run from the Huskies. Thanks to kills from Tylska, Rome and Winn, the Huskies retook the lead 22-20. Georgetown responded and, in the end, after scoring several kills, took the third set 24-23, closing the Huskies’ lead to 2-1.
Georgetown used that momentum to fuel their efforts in the fourth set. They took an early 5-2 lead after scoring several kills and a service ace. The Huskies fought back and after kills from Winn, Maria and Tylska, they took the lead by one point. Both sides traded points with the Huskies maintaining a slim 13-10 lead. The Hoyas worked hard to keep UConn at bay and prevented them from running away with the lead. However, three consecutive kills from Pannell and a service ace from Maria put the Huskies up 21-15. Georgetown went on a 5-0 run to close the gap back to a one-point differential. However, their efforts were not enough to stop the Huskies. Two final kills from Tylska and Winn won the set 25-21 and guaranteed the Huskies their second win over Georgetown this season.
Next up, the Huskies will make their way back to Storrs to face DePaul and Xavier for a second time. They will hope to remain undefeated at home and take two more wins.