The University of Connecticut women’s volleyball team went 1-1 this weekend after they took on the Butler Bulldogs and the Xavier Musketeers.
The Huskies dominated Butler 3-1 on Friday, with Emma Werkmeister leading UConn with 14 kills. Werkmeister was followed by Hanna Tylska with 13 and Jess Perry with 11.
Doga Kutlu lead UConn with 34 assists during their match, with the next most being three by Butler’s Ayva Cebollero.
UConn won the first set 25-23 while Butler won the second set 25-21. Sets three and four were won by UConn 25-20 and 27-25.
Some players on the Bulldogs the Huskies had to look out for during the match were Elise Ward, who had 15 kills, and Kaylee Finnegan and Sarah Kempf, who had 18 and 19 assists, respectively.
UConn played Xavier the following day, falling 3-1. Xavier won the first set 25-19, the second set 25-22 and the fourth set 28-26. UConn won the third set 25-22.
Werkmeister succeeded in the match with 23 kills, Audrey Rome with 11 kills and Kutlu with 42 assists.
Xavier’s top players were Emma Grace and Anna Taylor who had 21 and 15 kills respectively and Macy Hatkevich who had 37 assists.
Some players who have been the focal point of UConn’s offense this season are Werkmeister who has gotten 457 points and 372 kills in 26 matches, Rome who has 270.5 points and 217 kills in 26 matches and Kutlu who has 886 assists in 26 matches.
UConn’s top defensive players are McKenna Brand who has 349 digs in 26 games, Kutlu with 258 digs, Werkmeister who achieved 179 digs and Grace Maria who has 151 digs in 26 matches. Rome leads the team in blocks with 78 followed by Eli Adams with 42 and Werkmeister with 39.
Werkmeister leads UConn in receptions with 31 followed by Maria with 15 and Brand with 14.
After starting the season 11-1, UConn has gone 18-8 overall with just four matches left in the season. They have gone just 7-7 in the conference but have a dominating 12-3 record at home with a 4-5 record away and a 2-0 record at a neutral venue.
UConn’s next games are against fellow Big East foes Villanova and Georgetown on Nov. 14 and 15.
UConn lost their previous matchup this season against Villanova 1-3. During their last outing, Villanova’s Abby Harrell led both teams with 20 kills. UConn’s Kutlu led both teams with 40 assists.
UConn has an 11-9 record against Villanova since Nov. 11, 2006.
UConn won their last match against Georgetown 3-0. Last match Rome led both teams with 13 kills, while Kutlu led both teams with 31 assists.
Husky fans can watch both games on ESPN+.