The UConn women’s volleyball team will return to Storrs this weekend for their final home conference games. These matches will be crucial to securing a spot in this year’s Big East Tournament. The Huskies are coming off a weekend that saw mixed results.
This weekend, the Huskies face the DePaul Blue Demons and the Xavier Musketeers. This will be the second time UConn faces these programs. Connecticut will be looking for redemption after previously losing to both teams last month.
On Friday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m, the Huskies will take on DePaul. The Blue Demons have had a similarly successful season to the Huskies, and both teams stand with the same conference record, 9-5. This is the second time the two programs will meet this season, with the Huskies falling to DePaul 3-1 in late October.
The Blue Demons’ roster has many strong offensive players, including graduate student Jill Pressly, who leads the team with 427 kills and 27 service aces. She received her fourth Big East honor roll recognition this season and leads the conference in kills with an average of 4.19 per set. However, offense is not all this roster can offer, as they also have strong defensive players such as senior Ally Kindelberger, who leads the team in blocks with 86.
This game will also be UConn’s senior night, and the Huskies will be looking to even the season series.
Next up, the Huskies will take on Xavier on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 3 p.m. Xavier has had a less-than-ideal conference run and find themselves in a three-game losing streak since beating the Huskies in late October. They currently own a 7-7 conference record and a 9-15 overall season record.
They will bring redshirt junior Anna Taylor, who leads the program with 258 kills, and redshirt senior Sarah Stevens, who leads in blocks with 73. Another prominent player in their roster is senior Logan Flaugh, who won Big East Setter of the Week honors two weeks in a row earlier this month.
These matches mark the closing stages of the conference play. As five teams battle for the final two spots at the Big East Tournament in Omaha, Creighton and Marquette stand head and shoulders above the rest and are already guaranteed their spot. Now it is up to UConn, DePaul, St. John’s, Xavier and Villanova to battle for the final spots. The Huskies are currently tied with the Blue Demons for third and hope to maintain their undefeated status at home and secure two more wins, giving them a lead over the other teams.
Both matches will take place at the UConn Volleyball Center and will be streamed on Flo Sports.