DePaul Suffers Road Loss Against Connecticut
9/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
DePaul was unable to find its offensive rhythm, and Connecticut controlled the tempo of the match with 37 kills. Mattison Quayle paced the floor with 15 kills while Jessica Isaac chipped in 16 digs. For the Blue Demons, Chandler Carney led the offensive effort with eight put aways, and Chelsea Thrulby guarded the floor with 16 digs. Rachel Aumann tallied five block assists.
Neither team was able to generate much offense in the first game, as the Huskies hit a meager .045 (11-9-44) attack percentage compared to the Blue Demons' .029 (9-8-35). The score remained balanced until UConn strung together a 5-1 run behind the strong service of Kelsey Maving to put the score at 20-16. Lauren Blasi saved one game-point with a kill, but untimely attack errors would end the stanza, 25-21.
The Huskies carried the momentum over to the second game, quickly jumping out to an 11-3 lead. Although Blasi hit an impressive .500 (4-1-6) clip, the Blue Demons could not hurdle past Connecticut's 12 kills and fell to a 2-0 deficit after a 25-15 second-game loss.
DePaul's struggles continued in the third, as UConn's .324 (14-3-34) attack percentage put a stop to any offensive drive the Blue Demons created. Although they kept the score close during the first half of the frame, the Huskies went on 10-1 run to take a 23-14 advantage. A kill from the swing of Carney ended the scoring draught, but the eight point deficit was too much for the Blue Demons to overcome, and bowed out 25-16.
Sammy Geiger dished out 14 assists in the loss, while tallying two block assists. In addition to Thurlby's 16 digs, Sarah Cullen and Christy Landschoot also reached the double-digit dig plateau to bring the team total to 51.
DePaul returns to the court on Fri., Oct. 2 when they play host to Villanova. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
Notes: Sarah Cullen has reached the double-digit kills plateau for 10th times this season... Cullen has registered a double-double (kills-digs) in seven matches this season bringing her career total to 34... Chandler Carney improved her career-best attack percentage to .409 (11-2-22) against St. John's... Sammy Geiger raised her career-best kill total to 13 during the victory over NC State... Cullen tops the team in five categories including kills, attempts, points, digs, and service aces... The Blue Demons are 3-2 when playing in four-game matches... Connecticut leads the all-time series against DePaul, 6-0.