SOUTH ORANGE, N.J.- Coming into the evening in a top 3 spot in the BIG EAST, UConn volleyball looked to stay pace in the conference on with a duel against the Seton Hall Pirates in Walsh Gymnasium on Friday night.
In the opening moments of Set 1, Seton Hall maintained the first advantage, going ahead 10-6 on the back of Senna Roberts-Navarro and a fortifying defense. UConn got an exciting early moment, as Emma Werkmeister poured in her first kill since returning from injury. The Pirates ran the lead all the way to 15-10, as Maddy Loiselle turned the Huskies away with a deafening block. Seton Hall ran away with the first set, as Loiselle led the charge to put the hosts ahead in the match.
The Huskies fell behind in the second set, but quickly responded on the back of strong kills from Werkmeister and BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Loren Winn. Taylor Pannell got involved with a loud termination, with UConn clinging on to a slim 10-9 lead. The Hall was persistent, going on a 4-0 run to reclaim the lead at 13-10 with their eyes set on taking a commanding 2-0 set lead. A timely challenge from UConn got them within one at 16-15, overturning the original call that was deemed a UConn error. The one point deficit was as close as the Huskies could bring the set, with Asli Subasili serving as the Pirates' brick wall, rejecting several UConn attempts at the net. The Hall put themselves in the driver's seat, securing the second set 25-19.
The third set proved to be more of the same for the Huskies, with the Pirates leaping in front 6-1 to push UConn into an early huddle. The BIG EAST foes traded errors back and forth in the frame, with the Huskies unable to close the gap throughout the set, trailing 10-5 with their backs against the wall. Roberts-Navarro reached double-digit kills on the evening, stretching the Pirate advantage to 14-6. Hanna Tylska attempted to keep UConn in the match, with a rejection to bring the Huskies within 5 at 14-9. Strong defensive poise brought UConn all the way level at 22-all. However, the comeback effort fell short as the Huskies got swept on Friday night.
Up Next: UConn will look to rebound from the defeat, taking on Georgetown on Sunday at noon to end the weekend. Seton Hall welcomes Providence tomorrow evening.
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