The Huskies will host the Musketeers in their second-to-last regular season game. The match will be followed by senior night celebrations for Maggie Carley, Grace Maria and Isabela Suhy.
After two losses last weekend and a loss to Xavier earlier this season, UConn is eager for a win. In the all-time series against the Musketeers, the Huskies trail 5-6.
Hazuna Akishige, Sydney Borowy, Helena Einarsdottir and Courtney Grayson will all be very important in this match, as they all contribute to either kills, aces or digs. Yet no one will be as important as outside hitter Maja Daca. Last time against Xavier, she led the Huskies, excelling in all three components. She totaled 17 kills, 13 digs and three service aces.
Daca’s ability to contribute across multiple areas of the game makes her a valuable asset for UConn, especially against a team like Xavier. If she can replicate her performance in tonight’s match, the Huskies will have a stronger chance of competing against the Musketeers.
Daca has 194 kills in the season, averaging 2.02 per set. She’s preceded by Grayson and Borowy, who have totaled 238 and 283 in the season, respectively. Grayson averages 2.33 per set, while Borowy averages 2.83 per set.
As for aces, Daca leads the team with 60 in the season, averaging .63 per set. She’s followed by Einarsdottir with 33 in total and a .33 average. Akishige is a strong contributor as well, totaling 31 for the season and averaging .3 per set.
Akishige is also a dig powerhouse, leading the Huskies with 325 in the season and averaging 3.16 per set. She’s followed by Einarsdottir and Daca. Einarsdottir has a total of 210 in the season, with an average of 2.08 per match. Daca has accumulated 179 this season, with an average of 1.86 per set.
Strong defensive play will be essential to keeping UConn in the game. Limiting Xavier’s scoring opportunities is a necessity if the Huskies want a fighting chance at a win.
In addition to the offensive and defensive contributions of UConn’s key players, they’ll need to score early and maintain their momentum to beat Xavier. The Huskies only won one set in their last encounter; they did so by overcoming an early 4-1 deficit with a six-point run. However, in the three sets to follow, similar situations would arise with deficits that they couldn’t combat. A shift from coming back from behind to scoring first and early may be just what UConn needs to seal a victory.