University of Connecticut Athletics
Irish Snap UConn Volleyball's Seven-Match Winning Streak
11/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Nov. 16, 2008) – Three members of the University of Connecticut women’s volleyball team (21-8, 10-4) reached double figures in Sunday’s 3-2 loss at Notre Dame. The loss snapped a season-high seven-match winning streak and concludes the regular season. UConn will face the Fighting Irish (14-13, 9-5) in the BIG EAST Tournament in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Friday.
Chauntay Mickens (Germantown, Md.) led the Husky offense with 16 kills while Rebecca Murray (Carmel, Ind.) recorded 13. Lauren Lamberti (Cary, Ill.) finished the game with 10. Murray’s .267 hitting-percentage was a team best while also contributing a career-high eight blocks. Annie Luhrsen (Wheaton, Ill.) also had a career-high match with eight blocks, dishing off 49 assists. Jessica Isaac (Erlanger, Ky.) matched a season-high total 26 digs against the Irish.
Notre Dame trailed by no greater than four points in the first set before tying the game (19-19) for the fourth time and first time since a 6-6 tie early on. The teams battled to a tie score eight times in the final points of the set until the Huskies’ prevailed to a 28-26 victory with consecutive kills from Murray.
The Fighting Irish recovered with a team-hitting percentage of .276 and led the set after a Kellie Sciacca kill (10-8). Although the Huskies would come as close as two points in the final plays of the set, Notre Dame took the 25-21 decision to tie the match (1-1).
In the third, UConn earned 10-7 lead with kills from Lamberti and blocks from Luhrsen. The Huskies scored three-unanswered points to increase the margin (13-7) before cruising to a 25-20 win.
The score was tied 14 times in the fourth set with neither team leading by any greater than the two points at the 25-23 conclusion. Notre Dame earned the win to fourth a fifth set.
The Fighting Irish had their best hitting-percentage of the night (.294) in the final set a 15-11 victory to win the match.
UConn enters post season play at the BIG EAST Tournament as the No. 4 seed with Notre Dame as the No. 5. Tournament play begins on Thursday at the University of Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center.
Game Notes
· This is the second time this season Annie Luhrsen has dished off 49 assists. Luhrsen had 49 against Cleveland State for her second-best effort in a single-match of the season.
· Rebecca Murray’s kill total (13) at Notre Dame was just one shy of her season-high mark set on Sept. 12 (Wisconsin-Milwaukee).
· Jessica Isaac’s season-high dig tallying happened against Cincinnati on Sept. 28 when she finished the five-set match with 26.
· UConn is 1-5 in five-set matches this season with the lone victory happening against Cincinnati in front of a home crowd at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
