STORRS, Conn.- UConn volleyball honored seniors Carly Furlong, Doga Kutlu, and Taylor Pannell Friday night, as they battled DePaul University in a matchup with BIG EAST Tournament implications.

Both sides traded points early, with Hanna Tylska getting on the board for the Huskies and Jill Pressly responding for DePaul. A Pannell block and an ace from Isabella Suhy got UConn back in front with a monster block as the hosts got in front 6-5 in the first.  DePaul turned the tide with a block from Aly Kindelberger and a handful of UConn errors, launching the Blue Demons in front 12-8. Pressly and Meghan Scholz kept the pressure on the Huskies, taking a 15-11 lead into the first media timeout. The visitors spread the wealth on the attack, as Audrey Klemp and Luisa Juncu extended the DePaul advantage to 22-17, pushing UConn to talk it over late in the first. DePaul held on in the first set, 25-22.

Emma Werkmeister and Audrey Rome each got going early in the second, tallying a kill apiece. DePaul reclaimed the lead, rattling off four in a row to get in front 6-4, on the back of blocks from Juncu, Klemp and Scholz. UConn ignited the crowd with a 5-0 run, building a 12-9 lead in the second that forced DePaul to call timeout. The defensive brick wall continued to keep the Blue Demons firmly in the hunt in the second, with three blocks occurring in rapid succession tying the score at 15-all. Klemp and Oxley combined for the set-tying block, and Juncu's 6^th kill pushed the road squad in front with a 5 point flurry late in the second at 21-18. UConn cut the lead to 24-23, but DePaul held on to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

The Blue Demons grabbed the first lead in the third set, with two Klemp kills putting DePaul in front 7-5. With their eyes on a sweep, Pressly and the Demons ran the lead to 11-6 as UConn called timeout. Werkmeister and Tylska got the hosts back into the set, bringing the DePaul lead to just two in the third at 17-15. With their backs against the wall, UConn took six of the next seven points to jump back in front 22-20, with a Loren Winn kill pushing the visitors to talk it over. In a wild third set, it was DePaul that finished the job, sweeping the Huskies to hand them their first home loss of the season. 

Pressly led the way for DePaul with 14 kills. Tylska had 13 kills for the Huskies in the defeat. 

Up Next: UConn plays their final home match of the season tomorrow afternoon against the Xavier Musketeers at 3pm. DePaul heads to Providence to take on the Friars tomorrow afternoon.