University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
1-4,0-0Big East
Florida A&M
2-2,0-0SWAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UConn | 25 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 14 | 2 |
| Florida A&M | 10 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 16 | 3 |
UConn Drops Five-Set Match to Florida A&M
9/4/2026 9:02:00โฏPM | Women's Volleyball
Jacksonville, Fla. - UConn fell in a close five-set match, 3-2, to Florida A&M in the second match of the Dolphin Volleyball Classic.
The Huskies opened the first set by scoring the first six points, with Hazuna Akishige serving five straight after Helena Einarsdottir's opening kill and adding an ace, while Olivia Pasternak, Einarsdottir and Courtney Grayson each put down kills. Sydney Borowy delivered four kills as the Huskies extended their lead to 14-6. After Maja Daca's ace made it 16-6 and Akishige's second ace pushed the lead to 18-7, Einarsdottir served UConn through four straight points, including two aces, a Grayson-Isabella Sohl block and a Sohl kill, to give the Huskies a 23-9 advantage. Pasternak's kill brought set point before Borowy closed out the frame with a kill for a 25-10 UConn victory.
UConn battled through a back-and-forth second set, but the Rattlers ultimately pulled away with a 25-21 win. After falling behind 4-1 early, the Huskies responded with a four-point run to tie the set at 4-4, highlighted by a kill from Borowy and a block from Grayson. The teams continued to trade points, with Borowy and Grayson providing key kills and Olivia Grenadier adding back-to-back kills to keep UConn within striking distance. Florida A&M opened a 17-12 lead before the Huskies mounted a late push, cutting the deficit to 19-17 following kills from Borowy and Grenadier. Daca then delivered a service ace, but Florida A&M answered with a 4-1 run to take a 24-20 advantage. UConn fought off one set point, but the Rattlers closed out the frame, 25-21, on a ball-handling error.
The third set remained tightly contested, with UConn and Florida A&M trading leads throughout before the Rattlers claimed the set, 26-24. UConn took its first lead at 6-5 after a service ace from Sohl and continued to battle behind kills from Sohl, Borowy, Einarsdottir and Grayson. Pasternak and Grayson provided back-to-back kills during a stretch that helped the Huskies erase a 19-17 deficit and tie the set at 20-20. Grayson and Daca then added kills as UConn took a 22-21 lead, but the Rattlers answered with a 3-1 run to reach set point at 24-23. Sohl came through with a kill to tie the set at 24-24, but Florida A&M scored the final two points to take the set, 26-24.
The Huskies responded in the fourth set, rallying from an early deficit to force a decisive fifth set with a 26-24 victory. After Florida A&M opened with a 2-0 lead, UConn scored six of the next seven points, with kills from Borowy, Pasternak, Einarsdottir and Daca to take a 7-3 advantage. The Huskies extended their lead to 15-7 behind another Borowy kill, a service ace from Maggie Carley and a kill from Grace Maria. A Florida A&M service error gave the Huskies set point before Grayson finished the frame with a kill from Sohl.
In the fifth set, UConn held a 6-5 advantage early after a kill from Einarsdottir and later moved ahead 8-7 following an Akishige service ace. The Rattlers regained the lead at 10-9, but the Huskies answered with kills from Einarsdottir, Daca and Grayson to stay within a point. Grayson's second kill of the set helped UConn take a 13-12 lead, but Florida A&M responded with back-to-back points to move in front, 14-13. The Huskies tied the set at 14-14, but the Rattlers scored the final two points to take the set, 16-14, and the match, 3-2.
Borowy led the Huskies with 16 kills, followed by Grayson with 14 and Einarsdottir with 13. Akishige paced UConn with three service aces and 14 digs, while Daca and Einarsdottir each added two aces. Grayson led the Huskies at the net with four blocks. Sohl directed the UConn offense with 55 assists, while Einarsdottir recorded 13 digs and Daca finished with nine.
UP NEXT: The Huskies close out the Dolphin Volleyball Classic tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. against Jacksonville.
