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Huskies Take Dog Pound Challenge Title; Parker Records 1,000th Career Kill
9/18/2021 9:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
STORRS, Conn. - The UConn volleyball team captured the Dog Pound Challenge title as it downed NJIT and Yale behind the backing of a roudy Gampel Pavilion crowd on Saturday.
Senior Caylee Parker recorded her 1,000th career kill to highlight the day, becoming the 14th player in program history to reach the milestone.
Junior Allie Garland was named the Dog Pound Challenge MVP, while junior Jasmine Davis and graduate student McKayla Wuensch joined Garland on the All-Tournament team.
UConn 3, NJIT 0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-17)
Parker notched her 1,000th career kill early in the first set on a swing from the left side that sliced through the NJIT back line. Parker's historic kill started a 9-0 run as the Huskies coasted to an opening-set win.
"It's a huge task for any attacker to earn 1,000 career kills," commented head coach Ellen Herman-Kimball. "It couldn't have happened to a more deserving person. She comes into practice every single day, works her tail off every single day, and I'm just really happy for her because it is very much well-deserved."
UConn went on another tear to start the second frame, led by three kills from Parker as a 9-1 run led to another comfortable set victory.
The match was never in question as six different Huskies stroked six kills in Parker, senior Kennadie Jake-Turner, Garland and Davis. Junior Madi Whitmire and graduate student McKayla Wuensch provided 12 and 11 assists, respectively, as UConn earned its second straight 3-0 sweep.
UConn 3, Yale 1 (25-16, 26-24, 25-22, 27-25)
UConn earned four of its first five points off blocks and limited the Bulldogs to a -0.026 hitting percentage in the opening set as it won handily.
Yale took an early edge in the following frame until Davis guided a 4-0 run to pull UConn ahead, 8-6, and force a timeout. The Bulldogs worked back from a six-point deficit to tie it up at 23-23 until sophomore Taylor Pannell and Parker went for kills, and Jake-Turner and Garland blocked Yale's attempt to extend the set further.
Looking to sweep the Dog Pound Challenge, UConn raced out to an 8-3 advantage to start the third set, but Yale clawed its way back and flipped the script to take hold of the scoreboard, 19-14. UConn erupted with a 6-0 run following a timeout to take the lead, though Yale answered and secured the last four points of the set to force another frame.
Yale carried the momentum into the fourth stanza, utilizing an 11-3 run to go ahead 23-19 as the Huskies took a timeout to regroup.
"All we needed was just a couple spark plays to get us rolling and that's exactly what happened," said Herman-Kimball.
Pannell and Garland started the comeback with a block at the net before three straight kills and another block assist put UConn in front, 25-24. Yale tied it up, but a service error on the ensuing possession paved the way for the Huskies to have the advantage, and Parker ripped her 12th kill of the night to complete the comeback.
"The message coming into last week of practice was to finish, not just start strong, but finish strong all through the weekend," stated Herman-Kimball. "I'm just really proud of the team for doing that."
The Huskies will remain at Gampel Pavilion as they open up Big East play vs. Seton Hall on Friday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
Dog Pound Challenge MVP
Allie Garland, UConn
Dog Pound Challenge All-Tournament Team
Emma McGovern, Bryant
Courtney Branch, NJIT
Jasmine Davis, UConn
Allie Garland, UConn
McKayla Wuensch, UConn
Carley Diehl, Yale
Tiffany Pedersen-Henry, Yale
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