University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
6-1,0-0Big East
Yale
1-3,0-0Ivy League
Volleyball Defeated by Yale in Five Sets
9/12/2025 9:42:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
NEW HAVEN, Conn—UConn volleyball lost for the first time in 2025, falling in five sets to Yale in New Haven on Friday night (25-17, 25-27, 25-21, 23-25, 7-15).
UConn opened with a 6-3 first-set lead, with Jess Perry (Nashville, TN) chipping in two early kills to get the visitors in front. Yale evened the score at 8-8 after kills from Betsey Goodenow and Ava Poinsett. The Huskies constructed an 18-12 lead in the opening frame, fueled by terminations from Emma Werkmeister (Victor, N.Y.), Doga Kutlu (Ankara, Turkey), and Audrey Rome (Sandwich, IL). The Huskies ended the frame with zero attack errors to take the first set 25-17.
The two sides traded points in the early moments of the second set, with the score tied at 5-5. UConn's offense showed no signs of slowing down in the second, rattling off five straight points to build a 10-5 lead, with Werkmeister firing in an ace and Kutlu adding two kills. Yale capitalized on UConn miscues, taking seven of the following eight points to jump in front 12-11. Despite multiple attack errors, the Huskies remained in striking distance throughout the frame, eventually tying the score at 19-19 following Werkmeister's third ace. A tightly contested second set saw Yale tie the match, with the hosts taking the second set, 27-25.
The Huskies went ahead 7-3 in the third set, anchored on the defensive end with blocks from Werkmeister, Rome, and Eli Adams (Clarkston, MI). Yale kept the frame tight throughout, with kills from Goodenow and Laurece Abraham helping the hosts close the gap to 14-12. Werkmeister poured another ace, and Hanna Tylska (Sroda Wielkopolska, Poland) recorded her first kill to extend the UConn lead to 18-14. The Bulldogs battled back, going on a 4-0 run to get within one point at 20-19. However, two kills from Perry and two consecutive aces from McKenna Brand (Lucas, TX) lifted UConn to a 25-21 set victory, going ahead two sets to one in the match.
Werkmeister's sixth ace of the night and a termination from Rome constructed an 8-5 lead for UConn in the fourth, forcing Yale into an early timeout. After falling behind 12-8, the Bulldogs recorded five consecutive points to go ahead 13-12. Service errors continued to plague Yale, with miscues on the service line keeping the Huskies in front at 19-17. However, the host Bulldogs fought back to push the match to a fifth set, taking the fourth frame 25-23.
The Bulldogs dominated the fifth set, jumping to a 6-0 lead that they would not relinquish. The hosts took the final frame 15-7 to hand the Huskies their first non-conference loss since 2023.
Ava Poinsett led all players with 23 kills in Yale's first win of the season. Werkmeister led the Huskies with 12 kills in the defeat. Kutlu set a new career-high with 10 kills, finishing one dig shy of a triple-double, adding 32 assists and nine digs.
The Huskies are back on the road against Fairfield tomorrow at 4:00 pm.
