The University of Connecticut’s women’s volleyball team went 2-1 this weekend, after they took on the New Hampshire Wildcats, Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and Yale Bulldogs.
The Huskies dominated New Hampshire 3-0 on Friday with freshman Courtney Grayson leading UConn in kills with 9. Grayson was followed by sophomore Jordyn Hughes and freshman Sydney Borowy who both had eight.
Freshman Isabella Sohl led UConn with 29 assists during their match against the Wildcats, with the next most being three by junior Hazuna Akishige.
UConn won the first two sets 25-19 and 25-20, and they followed that up with a dominant final set, winning 25-15.
During the game, the Huskies had to look out for some players on the Wildcats, including junior Emma Converse who had 13 kills and senior Jessica Shattles who had 22 assists and eight digs which led the team.
UConn played FDU the following day, sweeping them 3-0 in dominant fashion. UConn won the first set 25-19, second set 17-25 and third set 20-25 to take home the day-two win.
Borowy led the team in kills for the second day in a row with 13, while Sohl matched her day one assist total with 29. Sohl, as well as Akishige led the team in digs against the Knights with 11 each.
FDU’s top players were freshman Mila Samardzija and senior Ava Deguzman with nine and seven kills respectively, and sophomore Isabella Scarfone who had 10 assists.
To end the weekend, UConn lost to Yale Sunday with the Bulldogs winning the first, third and fourth sets 25-15, 25-22 and 25-23, while the Huskies won the second set 25-21.
For the third time this weekend, Borowy led the team in kills, this time with 11 and Sohl led the team in assists with 26. Also, Akishige led the Huskies with 16 digs while freshman Helena Einarsdottir trailed closely behind with 14.
Yale’s best players were sophomore Ava Poinsett and senior Laurece Abraham who had 17 and 12 kills apiece and freshman Kalyssa Taggart who led Yale with 35 assists.
Some players who have been the focal point of UConn’s offense to open the season are Borowy, who has recorded 104 points and 91 kills in 35 sets, sophomore Maja Daca, who has 103 points and 73 kills in 37 sets, Grayson, who has scored 101.5 points and 83 kills in 36 sets and Sohl, who has 311 assists in 37 sets.
UConn’s top defensive players are Akishige, who has 122 digs in 37 sets, Einarsdottir, who has 88 digs in 37 sets, Sohl, who achieved 69 digs and Daca, who has 64 digs. Grayson leads the team in blocks with 29, followed by Borowy with 21 and sophomores Olivia Grenadier and Hughes with 15.
Senior Grace Maria leads UConn in receptions with 15, followed by Akishige and Daca with 8 apiece.
After starting the season on a three-game losing streak, UConn has gone 5-2 in their past seven matches. They have yet to start conference play at this point in the season.
UConn’s next games at home are against the Coppin State Eagles, Merrimack Warriors and Rhode Island Rams on Sept. 18, 19 and 20.
UConn has never played Coppin State before, but they played Merrimack once on Sept. 2, 2023, where the Huskies won 3-1. The only three players who remain from the Huskies squad that played Warriors in 2023 are Isabella Suhy, Maggie Carley and Maria.
The Huskies currently have a 2-2 record against Rhode Island since their first matchup on Sept. 19, 2009, where the Huskies lost 0-3. Their most recent matchup was on Sept. 8, 2023, after a seven-year gap from their 2015 matchup. UConn would win in 2023 3-2 in a neutral site in New Haven.
If Husky fans want to watch any of UConn’s three matchups this weekend, it is accessible for free on UConn’s streaming platform UConn+.