UConn volleyball struggled this past weekend in their Big East opener. They fell to both DePaul University on Friday and Marquette University on Saturday. On Friday, the loss to DePaul was in four sets (29-31, 18-25, 25-14, 23-25). On Saturday, the loss took three sets (22-25, 16-25, 18-25). Despite continuous efforts, the team failed to find a rhythm against their competition.
On Friday night, UConn set out in Chicago to play DePaul University in the conference opener for both programs.
Despite an initial lead from both Emma Werkmeister and McKenna Brand, putting the team ahead at 5-2, and pushing ahead to a 15-13 lead heading into the first media timeout. Unfortunately, DePaul’s Blue Devils quickly tied up the game, leading to a 24-24 tie. Despite thrilling kills from the likes of Grace Maria and Werkmeister, DePaul took the first frame at a 31-29 win.
In the second set, UConn once again took an early lead, this time fueled by Audrey Rome’s fearsome terminations, as well as Brenna Wyman’s aces.
The Huskies lost their footing shortly after this, though, and were forced into a timeout after multiple attack errors, ultimately losing the second set 25-18. The Huskies pulled ahead to a quick 25-14 victory, thanks to Werkmeister and Rome. Still, it was too little too late, and DePaul quickly regained their momentum in the fourth set, winning the game.
Following the previous night’s loss, the UConn Huskies flew to Milwaukee Saturday night in an attempt to redeem themselves against the Marquette University Golden Eagles. Despite the expected early offensive from Werkmeister, the Golden Eagles quickly forced UConn into an early timeout.
Maria and Brand closed the lead after this break and after numerous service errors from both sides, the score was tied at 16-16. The Eagles broke this momentary stalemate with a 24-22 set victory.
The second set fared no better for the Huskies, with Marquette taking advantage of numerous UConn attack errors. The Golden Eagle’s Hattie Bray, Isabela Haggard and Natalie Ring in particular fueled the effective offensive. Although Maria was able to fire in a notable ace, Marquette held on nonetheless for a 25-16 victory.
The third set served as the final nail in the coffin for the Huskies in the short-lived game, with the Golden Eagles easily winning the third set.
Though they were staved off by both Isabella Suhy and Hanna Tylska, the combined might of Milwaukee’s Ring and Elena Radeff were simply too much for the Huskies to handle. Milwaukee now advances to a 2-0 record in Big East play.
Despite an 0-2 record for this weekend, the women’s team still showed terrific strength.
Werkmeister showed prowess, leading both Friday and Saturday’s game with 12 and 20 kills, respectively. Her steady stream of aces and kills made her an invaluable asset to UConn this weekend, and without her, it is likely that the team would have suffered an even greater loss. Besides Werkmeister, Rome was able to tie a career-high 14 kills, giving her a good start to her senior year season.
Still, the highlights of the few do not make up for the losses of the many. If UConn hopes to turn their losing streak, they must address key weak points in their play. Between both games, the Huskies made a concerning number of errors, amounting to 38 total.
They must improve both their attacks and their serves if they hope to improve their record. Their number of kills, at 83 for the weekend, while solid, was not nearly enough to give them an edge against more competitive teams.
Simply put, the team must become not only more aggressive, but must also become a more polished and refined team in the coming weeks for Big East play.
UConn’s women’s volleyball will return to Storrs to take on Seton Hall (0-2) this upcoming Friday. With luck, the Huskies will regroup to have a stronger united front in their upcoming game to turn around their record. The season is still young, and there is still plenty of time for UConn to come out on top.