In a Halloween night matchup at the University of Connecticut Volleyball Center, the Huskies powered past the Hoyas, 3-2, to secure their second straight victory and their first over Georgetown University this season.
UConn rebounded from a 12-10 deficit in the fifth set, putting the final score at 15-13 and claiming the overall win.
The opening set was a back-and-forth battle, with UConn overcoming an early deficit to take an 18-15 lead. Maja Daca started the run from the service line, recording consecutive aces, scoring the Huskies four straight points. Courtney Grayson contributed kills on both ends of the run. However, the Hoyas answered, overcoming a 20-18 deficit to take a 22-20 lead, sparked by a kill from Dionna Mitchell. UConn battled back to put the score within one at 24-23, yet Georgetown finished the set, 25-23.
The Huskies came out swinging in the second set, erasing a 15-10 deficit built by Georgetown’s Kamryn Lee-Caracci, Katherine McGregor and Mitchell, to claim a 25-20 victory. Daca aided in fueling the comeback from the service line, where UConn rallied to even the score at 15. Help from Sydney Borowy was crucial, as she recorded three kills during the run. A kill from Isabella Sohl made the score 20-19, giving the Huskies their first lead. With the addition of kills later in the set from Grayson and Sohl, UConn was able to even the match at one set apiece.
The Hoyas took back the lead with a 25-23 win in the third set, powered by Lee-Caracci. The Huskies encountered a 23-17 deficit before cementing a late rally, pulling within one at 23-22 due to contributions from Olivia Pasternak, Helena Einarsdottir and Grayson, along with the assistance of two Georgetown errors. Pasternak provided another kill to make it 24-23, yet the Hoyas secured the set will a kill from Berkely Ploder.
In the fourth, UConn responded, overcoming Georgetown, 26-24, to force a decisive fifth set. After lagging 21-20, UConn fired off four straight points, highlighted by a kill from Borowy, a block from Shol and Jordy Hughes, respectively and a Grayson ace to claim a 24-21 lead. Fighting back, the Hoyas tied the set at 24 with the help of back-to-back blocks and a kill from Grace Albaugh. However, that wasn’t enough to stop a Borowy kill delivered off an Hazuna Akishige set to put the Huskies back in front. Adding another kill, Borowy sealed the 26-24 victory.
UConn continued its momentum into the fifth set, vanquishing an 11-7 deficit by winning seven of the next eight consecutive rallies. As the Huskies took over, Pasternak, Grayson and Borowy each added kills. The Hoyas came back within one at 14-13, but Borowy delivered the crucial kill off a set from Sohl to lock in the 15-13 victory and finish out the comeback.
This win was especially significant for UConn, demonstrating resilience and composure throughout the five-set battle. Despite falling behind multiple times, the Huskies continued to fight, capitalizing on key opportunities and delivering in crucial spots to secure the hard-fought conference victory.
UConn was led by Grayson, as she recorded 18 kills, hit .405 and recorded 21 points. Borowy also ended the day with 18 kills, hitting .438 and racking up 18.5 points. Sohl was also an essential contributor, recording 62 assists, seven digs and two block assists. The defensive effort was led by Akishige with her addition of 25 digs and three assists.
On offense, the Hoyas were led by Mitchell and her contribution of 15 kills. She is followed by McGregor with 11 and Ploder with 10. Both Ploder and Albaugh hit well for Georgetown, putting up averages of .556 and .429, respectively. Juleigh Urbina led the attack, recording 48 assists. Anchoring the defense, Bella McGirr added a team-high 17 digs.
Gaining this victory improves UConn’s overall record to 10-15 and drops Georgetown’s down to 12-11. As for their Big East records, the Huskies are improved to 3-9, while the Hoyas are dropped to 4-8.
Later this week, the Huskies will hit the road to take on two in-conference matchups, facing Seton on Friday and St. John’s on Saturday.