University of Connecticut Athletics
Volleyball Sweeps Rutgers in BIG EAST Action on Sunday Afternoon
10/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
STORRS, Conn. (Oct. 12, 2008) – Annie Luhrsen (Wheaton, Ill.) recorded a double-double with 27 assists and 12 digs in the University of Connecticut women’s volleyball team sweep of Rutgers on Sunday afternoon. Chauntay Mickens (Germantown, Md.) led the team with 11 kills in the 3-0 (25-13, 31-29, 25-19) victory at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
UConn (13-6, 3-2) pulled away to an 8-3 lead before Rutgers called a time out in the first set. The Huskies responded with Lauren Lamberti (Cary, Ill.) recording the lone service ace of the first set, spurring an 8-0 run to pull ahead to a commanding 13-point lead (16-8). A kill by Lamberti gave the Huskies the 25-13 win. Lamberti finished the match with five kills and three assists.
The second set proved to be more of a challenge as the Scarlet Knights (1-14, 0-6) came alive holding on to a five-point lead (9-4) in the closely contested set. Mickens’ kill ended the Rutgers run (9-5) and spurred the Huskies to cut the lead to within one (9-8).
UConn and Rutgers battled back and forth throughout the second set tying it a total of 13 times. The Huskies chipped away at the Rutgers’ 20-16 lead to tie it 20-20 with a Lamberti kill. The Scarlet Knights tied the set two more times before UConn had set-point control (24-22).
Refusing to lose each team battled back and forth for the two-point advantage necessary to win. Things were all tied up eight more times before the Huskies prevailed to the 31-29 win.
Rutgers scored five unanswered points with Caitlin Saxton serving to claim a 14-10 edge in the final set. The Huskies responded with a run of their own, scoring 10 points, rallying to a 20-15 lead. Key blocks by Rebecca Murray (Carmel, Ind.), Jordan Kirk (Plano, Texas) and Kate Seabaugh (St. Louis, Mo.) kept the Scarlet Knights at bay. UConn solidified its second conference sweep with a 25-19 decision in the final set.
Murray finished with a match-high six block assists and contributed seven kills to the Husky offense. Seabaugh had one block assist while recording three kills and seven digs. Kirk finished the match with three block assists.
UConn finished the match with 60 digs, including a team-best mark by Jessica Isaac (Erlanger, Ky.) with 19. During today’s match those interested had the opportunity to help the Huskies raise money for Dig for the Cure, an organization created to combine volleyball and fundraising efforts for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. UConn responded to the challenge with its second best dig-effort of the season.
The Huskies return to action at Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. The first 100 fans to arrive to the non-conference match will receive a UConn key chain.
Game Notes
· This is the second time this season the Huskies have swept an opponent at Gampel Pavilion. UConn swept Fairfield (Sept. 17) during the 2008 UConn Toyota Classic.
· UConn’s season-high dig mark came against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Sept. 12 with 64 digs.
· Annie Luhrsen’s double-double effort is the fourth of her season. She has recorded double-digit efforts in both assists and digs three times prior to Sunday’s effort. This was the first time she has done so against an opponent from the BIG EAST.
· Rebecca Murray’s six total blocks against the Scarlet Knights was a season high. Prior to Sunday’s match Murray has had two five-block matches this season (Temple; Cleveland State).
· The Huskies have out blocked their opponent 10 times this season and have done so in each of the last three matches.
- UCONN -
