University of Connecticut Athletics
Volleyball Visits A Pair of AAC Foes
9/28/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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STORRS, Conn. - The UConn volleyball team continues its American Conference slate with a pair of road games this weekend. The Huskies will first visit Houston on Friday, Sept. 29 for a 8:00 p.m. tilt, before hitting Tulane on Sunday, Oct. 1 in a 1:00 p.m. matinee.
Catching Up With UConn
UConn (8-6) is currently 1-1 in conference action after splitting a pair of decisions last week. The Huskies kicked off the 2017 AAC slate with a 3-1 win against Memphis, before falling to No. 24 Wichita State, 3-0, in straight sets.
Redshirt-sophomore Kayla Williams is pacing all Huskies in kills and aces, tallying 170 and 26, respectively. Her 0.53 aces per set rank a seventh best in the nation. Additionally, junior Emma Turner is recording a team-high 472 assists thus far. Defensively, junior Kennedy Arundel owns 177 digs to lead the team, while senior Tosin Adeniyi is headlining the defense with 38 total blocks.
Scouting the Competition
The Cougars (4-6, 0-2) opened American action with a 3-1 loss at Tulsa, before falling at SMU, 3-0, last week. Houston's Megan Duncan posted her first double-double of the season at Tulsa, while Abby Irvine recorded 18 assists and 10 digs for her team-leading third double-double of the season against SMU. Houston leads The American and ranks ninth in the country in service aces per set (1.77) and 22nd in opponent hitting percentage (.150). Sophomore libero Katie Karbo leads the league and ranks 13th in the NCAA in digs per set (5.64). Karbo (0.36) and senior outside hitter Sarah Afflerbaugh (0.35) rank fifth and sixth in The American in aces per set, respectively.
Tulane will host the Huskies boasting a 12-3 clip after splitting a pair of decisions last week. The Green Wave fell in four sets, 3-1, at SMU in their American season opener, before bouncing back to take down Tulsa, 3-1, to own a 1-1 mark in conference action. Four different players are notching over 100 kills apiece for the team, while the team ranks 38th in the nation with 83 service aces.
Did You Know
UConn posted a winning record in three out of four of the tournaments it competed in this year. Kayla Williams is seventh in the nation with 0.53 aces per set. Six out of eight of the Huskies' wins have been sweep victories. Head coach Kris Grunwald is just six wins away from reaching the 100 career wins milestone.
Notables
Junior libero Kennedy Arundel was named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week on August 28, following her performance at the St. John's Invitational. The libero helped UConn to a 2-1 performance during the squad's opening weekend tournament. Arundel played in all 12 sets during the invitational, recording a team-high 65 digs and 5.42 digs per set, while picking up three assists and two aces.
