STORRS, Conn.- UConn volleyball wrapped up the weekend on Saturday afternoon against St. John's at the UConn Volleyball Center, looking to win their sixth in a row.

St. John's came out of the gate firing, rattling off 5 points in a row to force UConn to call a timeout, with Giorgia Walther chipping in 3 early kills. The Huskies struggled to get offensive momentum going throughout the first, as the Red Storm built up an 10-4 advantage. Taylor Pannell and Grace Maria helped UConn chip into the lead, each making strong plays on the offensive end.  The combination of Pannell, Anna Herman, and Loren Winn put more pressure on the Red Storm late in the first set, cutting the lead to 23-19. The quick start helped St. John's take the first set, 25-20.

The Huskies came out stronger in the second, as Maria and Herman locked in defensively to knot the score at 5 in the early going. UConn forced a Red Storm timeout, stringing together four points in a row to take the lead 8-5. Brenna Wyman sounded the horns with an ace, and another kill from Pannell got St. John's to huddle up, with UConn leading 13-7. The Red Storm battled back with 3 points in a row, but UConn responded with an ace from McKenna Brand and blocks from Pannell and Doga Kutlu to run the lead to 21-16. The Huskies remained dialed in the second, with Hanna Tylska closing out the set 25-21 to tie the match at 1-all.

Errors dictated the start of the third for both teams with the score level at 5 apiece. Taylor Pannell had two consecutive kills, but the Red Storm responded with Erin Jones getting the visitors an 12-9 lead with a kill and two consecutive aces. Consistent with their play all season, the Huskies pushed back with a 5-0 run, with Tylska leading the way with three consecutive kills. In a tightly contested third set, UConn kept a slim one point lead at 21-20. An ace from Kutlu put the Huskies on the brink, and Tylska again closed out the set at 25-22. 

Looking to close out the match, Tylska kept her momentum going with two quick kills, and a block assist combining with Herman. However, Jones flexed her muscles for the Red Storm to catapult her squad back in front at 5-3. St. John's rode the wave to build their advantage all the way to 10-5, with Walther chipping in two for the road team. The Red Storm stretched the lead to 17-9 to trigger a UConn timeout. The Huskies closed the gap to 6, but St. John's sent the match to a decisive fifth set.

The heavyweight bout continued into the fifth, with neither side giving an inch. Tylska stepped up in the clutch for the Huskies, but St. John's continued to battle, keeping the score level at 4. Maria and Pannell came up huge for the Huskies, regaining the fifth set lead at 10-8 with clutch kills. Strong defense from UConn was all the difference, as Anna Herman and Doga Kutlu combined on a block that sent the deafening crowd into a frenzy, as the Huskies remained unbeaten at home, taking down St. John's in five sets.

Tylska and Pannell had 16 and 14 kills respectively to lead UConn. Erin Jones led the Red Storm with 18 in the defeat. 

Of Note: With the win, UConn stayed unbeaten at home (12-0). They are one of two BIG EAST teams to have this distinction, alongside Creighton.

Up Next: UConn hits the road to take on Xavier and Georgetown next weekend. St. John's looks to bounce back against Villanova on Wednesday night at home.