Huskies Honor 1994 and 1998 BIG EAST Champ Teams, Defeat Seton Hall on Saturday
STORRS, Conn.- Following a strong performance that lifted them to their first BIG EAST win of the season, UConn volleyball was back in action Saturday afternoon to continue their three-match home stand. The Huskies matched up against Seton Hall, who also picked up their first conference win last night at Providence.
UConn got off to a strong start to fire up the crowd, with two aces from Audrey Rome and Brenna Wyman, and a kill apiece from Emma Werkmeister and Taylor Pannell, going up 6-2. Kills by Rome, Hanna Tylska, and an ace from Doga Kutlu ran the Huskies lead all the way up to 16-10. The hosts fought off a Seton Hall first set comeback with another Kutlu ace, and a kill from Hanna Tylska gave UConn the first set. 25-19.
The second frame saw both UConn and Seton Hall plagued by errors, keeping the score level at 3-all. The Huskies went on a 3-0 run, with strong offensive play from Werkmeister and Pannell and errors from the Pirates stretching the UConn advantage to 11-5. A balanced offensive avalanche from multiple Huskies put the home team in the driver's seat. An ace from Wyman got the advantage up to 20-11 to force Seton Hall to call a timeout. A solo block from Audrey Rome punctuated the second set for UConn, capping off the frame 25-16.
The Pirates would not go down quietly on Saturday, capitalizing with aces and UConn errors to go ahead 7-4. The Huskies knotted the score at 9, but struggled to regain the third set advantage, with Seton Hall's defense coming through with blocks from Laila Wallace, Perri Lucas, and Senna Roberts-Navarro helping the Pirates build a 15-11 lead going into the media timeout. Despite trailing 24-17. UConn continued to battle in pursuit of a sweep, with a 4-0 run led by Kutlu and Pannell. However, a kill from Seton Hall's Madison Loiselle kept the Pirates alive as they snatched the third set, 25-21.
A seesaw affair in the fourth set ramped up the intensity in Storrs, as UConn and Seton Hall went blow for blow to keep the score tied at 9 all. A plethora of errors, supplemented by kills from Werkmeister and Hall's Grace Turner kept the fight going, with the sides tied at 15. Grace Maria, Werkmeister, and Rome all chipped in for the Huskies to get the home side a slim advantage to spur a 21-20 UConn lead. The UConn Volleyball Center, led by the 1994 and 1998 championship teams who were honored pregame, came alive during the Seton Hall timeout. The Huskies rode the literal wave started by the crowd late in the frame, with Isabella Suhy coming off the bench to serve up a crucial ace to put her squad up 22-20. The 607 in attendance were given a big reason to celebrate, with the offensive leaders Werkmeister and Pannell closing out the Pirates in the fourth set, 25-23. With the win, the Huskies are now 2-2 in conference play and are still undefeated at home.
Werkmeister led UConn with 18 kills, with Pannell chipping in 12 of her own. Loiselle and Roberts-Navarro each had 10 kills to pace Seton Hall in the defeat.
Up Next: UConn concludes their three-match homestand on Wednesday, welcoming in Providence at 6pm. Seton Hall returns home to face Xavier on Friday night.
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