After a mixed weekend where they lost their first match of the season, the UConn volleyball team returns home to take on Brown, Marist and Sacred Heart for this weekend’s UConn Classic.
Despite facing their first loss of the season last weekend to Yale, UConn was able to bounce back and win their next two matches. It is this momentum that the Huskies will hope to capitalize on as they head into their final non-conference games of the season.
After their strong performance in last weekend’s invitational, seniors Emma Werkmeisteir and Audrey Rome were named to the Yale-Fairfield Invite All-Tournament Team.
Werkmeister leads the program with 130 kills, 19 service aces and an average of 4.35 points per set. Rome leads the team with 24 blocks and scored a career high of 14 kills in UConn’s match against Fairfield.
The Huskies will start the weekend facing Brown on Friday, Sept. 20, exactly a year since their last match. This will be the fifth time the programs face one another with UConn holding a 3-1 record. The Bears currently hold a 3-3 overall record and are coming off a difficult weekend where they ended 1-3 at the Knights Invitational. Despite their struggles, the Bears will be hoping to turn over a new leaf and improve on the success they found against UCF last weekend.
Some players to look out for on the Bears are seniors Jesse Golden and Mariia Sidorova. Golden was named to the All-tournament team at the Knights Invitational and Sidorova leads the team with 67 kills and 3.64 points per set.
Next up, UConn will take on the Marist Red Foxes on Sunday, Sept. 21, for the first time since 1988. Marist currently stands with a 1-8 overall record and are on a four-game losing streak.
Some important players for the Red Foxes are juniors Sara Dasic, who leads the program with 75 kills and is second with nine service aces, and Cecilia Potter-Pessoa, who leads with 12 service aces.
Lastly, the Huskies will go against Sacred Heart on Sept. 21, for the seventh time in program history. The Huskies stand with a 5-1 record against SHU, winning their last four matchups. The program stands with a 3-7 overall record and a two-game winning streak.
They will be hoping to continue this run and will rely on freshman Ryleigh Short who leads the Pioneers with 125 kills. Junior Ava Roodbol also leads the team with 333 assists.
The Huskies will hope to maintain their undefeated at home status and extend their winning streak as they face their final non-conference opponents.
All matches will take place at the UConn Volleyball Center in Storrs and will be streamed live on UConn+. The Brown match will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by the Marist match at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Lastly, UConn will face Sacred Heart at 3 p.m. on Sunday.