University of Connecticut’s women’s volleyball team (8-13) traveled to the Midwest this weekend to take on Butler and Xavier, looking for a spark in conference play.
The Huskies entered this matchup coming off their first conference win of the season after defeating Seton Hall 3-1, snapping a tough five-game losing streak to begin Big East play. They began their week in Indianapolis, Ind. on Friday night, facing the Butler Bulldogs (9-9).
Both sides kept it close to begin the first set, with balanced contributions across the Huskies’ offense, with Maja Daca, Hailey Maes and Courtney Grayson all recording two early kills as Butler led 11-10. The Bulldogs began to pull away from that point, taking six of the next seven points to go up 17-11.
Strong blocking kept the UConn attack in check, allowing the hosts to race out to a commanding 24-15 set point. A late kill by Maes wasn’t enough to spark a run, and the Bulldogs claimed the first set 25-17.
The second set looked to be more competitive, with neither side leading by more than two for much of the set. Maggie Carley floated in her 23rd ace of the season to tie the score at six, followed by a block by Jordyn Hughes to put the Huskies up 7-6.
Sydney Borowy dialed up two kills with a block by Hughes and Audrey Jensen in between to keep the Huskies within striking distance at 16-15. However, Butler responded with a back-breaking 8-2 run to reach a 24-17 set point. A service error ended the set before UConn would have a chance to fight back, as Butler won set two 25-18.
The third set began similarly to the first two, with a back-and- forth start as Hazuna Akishige, Maria Grace and Jensen all recorded an ace, allowing UConn to build an 11-9 advantage.
Butler immediately responded with seven straight, capped off by a pair of service aces. Olivia Pasternak added an ace of her own to pull the score to 16-13, but the Bulldogs didn’t take their foot off the gas. Just like the previous set, an 8-2 run carried the hosts to set point, and, once again, finished the job before the Huskies could respond, winning the third and final set 25-16.
The Huskies took on Xavier (11-7) Saturday evening, forced to put the Friday loss behind them. They went down 4-1 early in the first set but clawed back to take eight of the next nine, fueled by three kills from Borowy. Xavier pushed back, cutting the deficit to one, but the Huskies held their lead as both sides traded points. A quick 3-0 run gave the Huskies set point, and after a spike out of bounds, UConn capitalized to secure a 25-21 set one win.
UConn looked to ride the momentum from the first set, and they seemed ready to do so after starting set two with a Daca service ace. However, Xavier went on a nine-point avalanche, leading 9-1 with all the momentum. A Jensen ace and two solo blocks from Hughes helped cut the deficit, but the Musketeers surged back to a 15-6 lead after a 5-1 run. Xavier’s potent defense prevented any comeback hopes. UConn pulled within six after an ace from Helena Einarsdottir, but the deficit was too much to overcome with Xavier winning set two 25-17.
The Huskies looked sharp to begin the third set, with contributions from everyone on the court helping build a 5-3 lead. Xavier put together a 7-2 run to jump out in front, but the Huskies slowly chipped away before a Grayson kill capped off a 3-0 run to knot the score at 14 all.
Two more kills from Grayson and a Daca ace helped UConn briefly reclaim the lead, but costly errors helped the Musketeers flip the score off four straight points. The Huskies brought it even again at 20 after a Jensen ace, setting up a thrilling finish.
Xavier reached set point first, but Grayson forced a deuce. The Musketeers got another set point opportunity, and this time their blocks shut down the Huskies’ spikers, claiming a hard-fought set three victory.
Xavier went up 3-0 to begin the fourth set, but two aces and kills from Grace Maria and Daca sparked six in a row for the Huskies. Xavier quickly tied it back up at 7-7, but a few mistakes and an Einarsdottir ace gave UConn another four straight.
The Huskies held strong defensively for much of the match, but a late surge allowed the Musketeers to equalize the score at 23. UConn reached match point first but was unable to take advantage twice before a break point gave Xavier a chance at match point. A Daca kill prolonged the match, but the Musketeers made the most of their second opportunity, winning a decisive set four thriller 28-26.
Despite the losses, Hughes had a standout performance this weekend, looking unstoppable at the net with 14 total blocks over seven sets. The Huskies also continued to look strong at the service line, dialing up fourteen aces over the weekend, led by Daca’s three on Saturday. The sophomore outside hitter moved up to No. 10 in the country in aces per set at 0.62.
The Huskies will need to regroup quickly and prepare for a road matchup with preseason Big East No. 1 Creighton next week. That match will be nationally televised on Fox Sports 1 on Thursday at 9 p.m.