QUEENS, N.Y.- UConn volleyball's 2024 season came to a close Thursday night at the hands of Big East rival St. John's, as the Huskies fell in four sets in the Great 8 Round of the NIVC.
St. John's got ahead early on the back of four Giorgia Walther kills to go up 7-3. The Johnnies extended the lead to 14-8, as the duo of Walther and Erin Jones led the Red Storm to the tune of a .688 hit percentage. UConn cut into the lead with a 4-0 run, with Taylor Pannell and Doga Kutlu leading the charge to trail by only one point, 15-14. The Huskies pulled even at 17-all, but four consecutive kills from Lucrezia Lodi put St. John's back on top at 21-17, pushing UConn into a timeout. Jones flexed her muscles in the closing stages of the first set to lead the Red Storm in an opening frame victory, 25-20.
The Huskies took their first lead of the match in the second set, capitalizing on a handful of Red Storm miscues, punctuated by an Anna Herman block to go up 9-5. Terminations from Tylska, Pannell, and Loren Winn kept UConn in front, with an ace from Emma Werkmeister constructing a 16-11 edge. Walther and Jones led the hosts all the way back to tie the set at 17-all and push the Huskies into a timeout. St. John's took a commanding 2-0 set lead, with Lodi closing out the frame with her fifth kill of the night.
A loud rejection from Pannell got UConn in front to a 5-2 advantage in the third. Consecutive kills from Anna Herman kept the UConn advantage at three, as the Huskies battled with their backs against the wall in the third frame. As they did all night, St. John's kept the pressure on, tying the score at 23-all, with service errors continuing to plague the Huskies. A marathon third frame ended with a clutch Kutlu ace and a Red Storm error, as the Huskies took the set 29-27 to stay alive in the match.
The Johnnies got off on the right foot in the fourth to go ahead 6-3. Magda Stambrowska's strong offensive attack escalated the Red Storm lead to 15-8. Refusing to go down without a fight, Pannell came up clutch with a kill and a block to cut the St. John's lead to 20-16. True to their relentless mantra all season, the Huskies marched all the way back from 24-19 to bring the set even at 24-24. However, the Red Storm staved off UConn in a wild fourth frame to clinch a spot in the NIVC Fab Four and end UConn's turnaround 2024 season.
Huskies Forever
Taylor Pannell and Doga Kutlu closed out their UConn careers on Thursday night. Kutlu had 45 assists, 9 digs, 3 blocks, and 3 aces. Pannell had 13 kills on a .462 hit percentage, 4 blocks, 3 digs, and 2 aces.
Kutlu finished her Husky career with 2,099 assists, 749 digs, 66 aces, and 57 blocks, transferring in from Missouri State University-West Plains and forever stamping her mark on the program in a short period of time.
The longest tenured player on the 2024 team, Pannell ended her storied volleyball career with 968 kills, cementing her legacy in the UConn record books. The graduate student from Middletown, N.Y. finished with the most sets played in a UConn uniform. Pannell ranks in the top 5 in blocks (414) and top 7 in hit percentage (.263). Both Kutlu and Pannell were named to the All-Conference team by the Big East, with Kutlu receiving unanimous recognition.
Kutlu, Pannell, and the 2024 Huskies tied the program-record for wins in a single season (26), got the Huskies off to their best start ever (12-0), and welcomed in the new UConn Volleyball Center with a 14-1 home record. The 2024 Huskies exceeded preseason expectations (picked 9th in preseason BE poll, finished 3rd) and will look to serve as an important foundation for the future of the UConn volleyball program moving forward.
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