Spring Break
Huskies take two in Big East
Mike Barnhart
Issue date: 11/3/08 Section: Sports
The volleyball team went two matches without losing a set this weekend en route to earning their 17th and 18th victories of the year. The Huskies handed Seton Hall their 12th loss of the season Friday night and then followed it up with an impressive 3-0 win over Villanova Sunday afternoon.
A balanced attack and a strong defensive effort helped UConn (18-7, 7-3 Big East) handle Seton Hall in straight sets (25-15, 28-26, 25-22). Chauntay Mickens led the Huskies with nine kills, followed by Lauren Lamberti and Jordan Kirk with eight each. Rebecca Murray and Annie Luhrsen also got into the act offensively with five and six kills, respectively.
Murray was active defensively against the Pirates, recording six blocks. Mickens and Megan Frey had five block assists each. Frey also recorded 10 digs second only to Jessica Isaac who had 11. Kate Seabaugh contributed nine digs of her own to help guide the Huskies to the win.
"The girls are really proud of themselves, they've been executing the game plan consistently and it has paid off," said coach Holly Strauss-O'Brien.
UConn showed no signs of complacency when Villanova came to town for a matinee Sunday, which UConn won (27-25, 25-17, 25-22). Kirk and Isaac were standouts for the Huskies in the first set. Isaac came up big with a pair of crucial digs to rob the Wildcats of multiple kills. UConn blocked a handful of balls out of bounds and made some errors which allowed Villanova to keep the set close.
With UConn trailing 23-22, Kirk took over. The freshman outside hitter had two consecutive kills to put the Huskies ahead 24-23 and later recorded another to knot the match at 25. UConn won the set 27-25 on a kill from the middle of the court.
"We've just been listening to the coaches and we've been prepared for all of our opponents," Isaac said.
In the second set, Villanova jumped out to a lead early, but the Huskies were able to narrow the gap quickly. Luhrsen, who had 34 assists for the match, did a great job of getting the ball in position for her teammates to put away. UConn was much more fluid offensively in the second set and won it, 25-17, on a beautiful set-up from Luhrsen to Frey.
A balanced attack and a strong defensive effort helped UConn (18-7, 7-3 Big East) handle Seton Hall in straight sets (25-15, 28-26, 25-22). Chauntay Mickens led the Huskies with nine kills, followed by Lauren Lamberti and Jordan Kirk with eight each. Rebecca Murray and Annie Luhrsen also got into the act offensively with five and six kills, respectively.
Murray was active defensively against the Pirates, recording six blocks. Mickens and Megan Frey had five block assists each. Frey also recorded 10 digs second only to Jessica Isaac who had 11. Kate Seabaugh contributed nine digs of her own to help guide the Huskies to the win.
"The girls are really proud of themselves, they've been executing the game plan consistently and it has paid off," said coach Holly Strauss-O'Brien.
UConn showed no signs of complacency when Villanova came to town for a matinee Sunday, which UConn won (27-25, 25-17, 25-22). Kirk and Isaac were standouts for the Huskies in the first set. Isaac came up big with a pair of crucial digs to rob the Wildcats of multiple kills. UConn blocked a handful of balls out of bounds and made some errors which allowed Villanova to keep the set close.
With UConn trailing 23-22, Kirk took over. The freshman outside hitter had two consecutive kills to put the Huskies ahead 24-23 and later recorded another to knot the match at 25. UConn won the set 27-25 on a kill from the middle of the court.
"We've just been listening to the coaches and we've been prepared for all of our opponents," Isaac said.
In the second set, Villanova jumped out to a lead early, but the Huskies were able to narrow the gap quickly. Luhrsen, who had 34 assists for the match, did a great job of getting the ball in position for her teammates to put away. UConn was much more fluid offensively in the second set and won it, 25-17, on a beautiful set-up from Luhrsen to Frey.
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