University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
6-0,0-0Big East
Colgate
2-4,0-0Patriot
Volleyball Beats Colgate to Finish Weekend Sweep
9/6/2025 6:21:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
STORRS, Conn. — UConn volleyball continued its red-hot start to the season, defeating Colgate 3-1 (25-22, 15-25, 25-15, 25-23) on Saturday afternoon at the UConn Volleyball Center.
Early in the first set, Doga Kutlu (Ankara, Turkey) conducted the offense, dishing out assists throughout the frame. Emma Werkmeister (Victor, N.Y.) paced the UConn attack early and often, giving UConn an early 6-3 lead. Despite trading points with the Raiders, UConn gained momentum with a service ace by Kutlu at 20-19 and a clutch kill from Grace Maria (Arlington, Va.) to push the score to 24-21. The Huskies capitalized on Colgate's miscues, closing the set with a kill from Audrey Rome (Sandwich, IL).
UConn fell behind early in the second due to multiple errors, with Colgate commanding a 10-1 lead. Despite comeback efforts by Werkmeister and Jess Perry (Nashville, TN), UConn could not close the gap against a strong Raider attack. Eli Adams (Clarkston, MI) and Maria chipped in kills, but Colgate's consistent scoring sealed the set at 25-15.
The third set began with a back-and-forth exchange of points, but the Huskies gained early momentum with a kill from Maria, part of her career-high 13 on the day. Werkmeister's offensive contributions were critical, recording multiple terminations, including one that broke a 9-9 tie. Consecutive kills from Perry and Maria extended UConn's lead to 16-10. Ayva Cebollero (Nocatee, Fla.) provided a spark for UConn, checking in to pour in two consecutive kills to put the hosts up 20-13. The Huskies did not let up in the late stages of the third, with an ace from Isabella Suhy (Toledo, Ohio) and another kill from Werkmeister closing out a 25-15 set victory.
Colgate took an early 6-3 lead, but Werkmeister and Maria quickly responded with crucial kills. UConn took advantage of Raider miscues, tying the score at 8-8 after another Werkmeister kill and a Maria ace. The Huskies fell behind 16-10, but continued to battle. Rome added two consecutive kills, bringing the Colgate lead down to 16-12. Werkmeister continued to come up huge for the Huskies, with four kills to whittle the Raider lead to one. UConn evened the score at 20-20 and executed down the stretch, with Maria's career-high 13th kill of the afternoon sealing the match for the hosts, moving the Huskies to 6-0 on the season.
Hear from the Huskies:
Junior Outside Hitter Grace Maria:
On the game's intensity:
"It was such a team effort. We felt like we could swing away and go for it because we had each other's back."
On the defensive effort in the fourth set:
"We had to focus on what systems we were in. Once we locked in as a team on which defense we were in, everything went smoothly, and we could run our offensive systems."
Head Coach Ellen Herman-Kimball:
On starting the season 6-0
"It's really earned. We are excited for every moment we get to do it and to see the team's growth."
On the fourth set comeback
"We were able to stick to what we know. There's no time or space to change or do something miraculously different. It's about doing what we do all the time in training and trusting what we do. A couple of things fell our way, and the momentum shifted. It was exciting to be a part of."
Inside the Numbers
Werkmeister led the Huskies with 21 kills on a .302 hitting percentage. Maria added to the offensive effort with a career-high 13 kills and two aces. Kutlu orchestrated the offense with 37 assists. Brand anchored the defense, collecting 18 digs on the afternoon. Milan Bayless finished with a team-high 15 kills in the defeat for Colgate.
UConn has now won 20 straight nonconference games, dating back to last season. The Huskies continue to dominate their home court, winning 17 of their last 18 matches at the UConn Volleyball Center.
Up Next: UConn will hit the road to face in-state foe Yale on Friday, September 12th.
