University of Connecticut Athletics
Friday, August 24
Morgantown, W.V.
7:00 PM
University of Connecticut
at
West Virginia
Photo by: Stephen Slade
Huskies Kick Start 2018 This Weekend at WVU Invitational
8/22/2018 12:59:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
UConn will face Wright State, West Virginia and Georgia Southern this weekend
WVU InvitationalÂ
Friday, August 24:    vs. Wright State    Live Stats | Video        vs. West Virginia  Live Stats | Video
Saturday, August 25:    vs. Georgia Southern  Live Stats | Live Video  Â
STORRS, Conn. - The UConn volleyball team gets their 2018 campaign underway this weekend taking part in the WVU Invitational at West Virginia on Friday and Saturday. The Huskies are slated to face Wright State (12:30 pm) and the host Mountaineers (7 pm) on Friday and close the weekend tourney with a match-up against Georgia Southern (12 noon) on Saturday. Â
Following this weekend's opener, the Huskies return to Storrs for their home opener at Gampel Pavilion on Tuesday night against the Quinnipiac Bobcats before host the first of two weekend tournaments on campus this fall. The Huskies will host the 2018 UConn Challenge on August 31 & September 1 against the likes of New Hampshire, Iona and Syracuse and then on September 14 & 15, host the annual Dog Pound Challenge with Holy Cross, Rutgers and St. John's coming to town.
Five Newcomers to the Team
Head Coach Chris Grundwald begins his fifth season on the bench for the Huskies in 2018 and will welcome five new faces to the roster this fall.  Kennadie Jake-Turner (Houston, Texas), Anna Petrova (Voronezh, Russia), Courtney Finkle (Johns Creek, Ga.), Caylee Parker (Windsor, Ontario) and Klaudia Sowizral (St. Charles, Ill.) join the UConn program this season, bringing a multitude of experiences and skills to Grundwald's team. The fivesome make-up the Class of 2022 and will look to have an immediate impact on the court.
Senior Leadership
Danielle Cabel (Bettendorf, Iowa), Elizabeth Kline (Glenshaw, Pa.), Emma Turner (Winter Park, Fla.), McGary and Kennedy Arundel (Chicago, Ill.) provide experience to a relatively young roster, which consists of five freshman, one redshirt freshman, two sophomores, and two juniors. The fivesome have been key components in rebuilding the program since Grunwald stepped onto campus and accounted for 30.1% of kills, 46.7% of service aces and 43.3% of blocks in 2017.
Back to Work
Senior Iman McGary (Rockford, Ill.) is coming off a break-out season in 2017, posting career highs in kills (244), assists (29), digs (173) and total blocks (31). McGary, an outside hitter, was second on the team in kills and recorded a personal best five double-doubles in 2017. Her career-high of 28 kills came against Temple (Nov. 24), while setting another personal best of 18 digs against Tulsa (Nov. 9).
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Tough Road Ahead
Heading into the 2018 slate, the Huskies know they will face some stiff competition – including eight opponents that finished in the NCAA RPI Top 100. UConn will play 11 matches against teams that ended 2017 in the RPI Top 100, with eight of them coming against league opponents.
The 2018 American Athletic Conference 18-match schedule gets underway on September 21 and opens with a swing through Texas to face SMU and Houston.  Wichita State finished in the Top-20 last season and made a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.Â
Friday, August 24:    vs. Wright State    Live Stats | Video        vs. West Virginia  Live Stats | Video
Saturday, August 25:    vs. Georgia Southern  Live Stats | Live Video  Â
STORRS, Conn. - The UConn volleyball team gets their 2018 campaign underway this weekend taking part in the WVU Invitational at West Virginia on Friday and Saturday. The Huskies are slated to face Wright State (12:30 pm) and the host Mountaineers (7 pm) on Friday and close the weekend tourney with a match-up against Georgia Southern (12 noon) on Saturday. Â
Following this weekend's opener, the Huskies return to Storrs for their home opener at Gampel Pavilion on Tuesday night against the Quinnipiac Bobcats before host the first of two weekend tournaments on campus this fall. The Huskies will host the 2018 UConn Challenge on August 31 & September 1 against the likes of New Hampshire, Iona and Syracuse and then on September 14 & 15, host the annual Dog Pound Challenge with Holy Cross, Rutgers and St. John's coming to town.
Five Newcomers to the Team
Head Coach Chris Grundwald begins his fifth season on the bench for the Huskies in 2018 and will welcome five new faces to the roster this fall.  Kennadie Jake-Turner (Houston, Texas), Anna Petrova (Voronezh, Russia), Courtney Finkle (Johns Creek, Ga.), Caylee Parker (Windsor, Ontario) and Klaudia Sowizral (St. Charles, Ill.) join the UConn program this season, bringing a multitude of experiences and skills to Grundwald's team. The fivesome make-up the Class of 2022 and will look to have an immediate impact on the court.
Senior Leadership
Danielle Cabel (Bettendorf, Iowa), Elizabeth Kline (Glenshaw, Pa.), Emma Turner (Winter Park, Fla.), McGary and Kennedy Arundel (Chicago, Ill.) provide experience to a relatively young roster, which consists of five freshman, one redshirt freshman, two sophomores, and two juniors. The fivesome have been key components in rebuilding the program since Grunwald stepped onto campus and accounted for 30.1% of kills, 46.7% of service aces and 43.3% of blocks in 2017.
Back to Work
Senior Iman McGary (Rockford, Ill.) is coming off a break-out season in 2017, posting career highs in kills (244), assists (29), digs (173) and total blocks (31). McGary, an outside hitter, was second on the team in kills and recorded a personal best five double-doubles in 2017. Her career-high of 28 kills came against Temple (Nov. 24), while setting another personal best of 18 digs against Tulsa (Nov. 9).
Â
Tough Road Ahead
Heading into the 2018 slate, the Huskies know they will face some stiff competition – including eight opponents that finished in the NCAA RPI Top 100. UConn will play 11 matches against teams that ended 2017 in the RPI Top 100, with eight of them coming against league opponents.
The 2018 American Athletic Conference 18-match schedule gets underway on September 21 and opens with a swing through Texas to face SMU and Houston.  Wichita State finished in the Top-20 last season and made a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.Â
Players Mentioned
Defensive Specialist
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Libero/ Defensive Specialist
/ Women's Volleyball
Middle Blocker/ Rightside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Libero/Defensive Specialist
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Rightside Hitter/ Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Setter
/ Women's VolleyballUConn vs. Sacred Heart
Sunday, September 21
Brown University vs. Marist
Sunday, September 21
UConn vs. Marist
Saturday, September 20
Brown University vs. Sacred Heart
Saturday, September 20
