University of Connecticut Athletics
2024 Women's Volleyball Season Preview
8/26/2024 1:24:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
STORRS, Conn.-Â The UConn women's volleyball team heads into the season with a mix of veteran talent and newcomers that will look to guide the Huskies into a successful 2024 campaign.Â
The Huskies return key contributors across the board. Junior outside hitter Emma Werkmeister (Victor, N.Y.) looks to build on a strong 2023 season, after leading the team with 340 kills and 29 service aces. Werkmeister registered 3.23 kills per set in BIG EAST conference play, 7th in the conference. Senior setter Doga Kutlu (Ankara, Turkey) will be another key veteran presence on the offensive end. Kutlu had 836 service assists in 2023, and 8.77 per set in conference play, 6th in the BIG EAST. Defensively, Graduate Student MB Taylor Pannell (Middletown, N.Y.) and redshirt sophomore Audrey Rome (Sandwich, Ill.) will anchor the Huskies. Pannell and Rome led the team in blocks last year, with 81 and 42, respectively.Â
UConn welcomes in a handful of newcomers, including five freshmen and one transfer this year that are excited to contribute to the team's success in the team's first season in the updated UConn Volleyball Center on campus.
Non Conference Breakdown
The Huskies open the season this weekend in the UConn Volleyball Center Welcome tournament in Storrs, taking on three different opponents. UConn welcomes in Long Island, Youngstown State, and in-state foe Sacred Heart.Â
Following this, the Huskies will travel up to Hamilton, N.Y. to compete in the Ellis Rowland Memorial Tournament. There, they will take on host school Colgate, followed by matchups against Stony Brook and Buffalo.Â
UConn will return home for another non-conference weekend tournament, battling Delaware State, the University of Albany, and Dartmouth. To close out the non conference slate, the Huskies will head up to Durham, New Hampshire, to take on host UNH, as well as Brown, before concluding the weekend back in Storrs against in-state Central Connecticut.
BIG EAST Play
Kicking off BIG EAST play in late September, the Huskies will be tested against the best teams in the conference coming into the season, traveling to Marquette and unanimous preseason top selection Creighton. Both teams head into the season ranked in the AVCA top 25 poll.
UConn will then return home for a three game homestand against Georgetown, Seton Hall and Providence before heading back on the road to face Butler in Indianapolis. The Huskies will come back to Storrs in October for a back-to-back against Villanova and St. John's. UConn wraps up the month with a three game road trip against Xavier, DePaul, and Providence.
The Huskies start the final month of the regular season at home against Butler, before their second matchups of the season against Seton Hall and Georgetown on the road. UConn concludes their season at the UConn Volleyball Center with weekend showdowns against DePaul and Xavier, before wrapping up the season against St. John's and Villanova back out on the road.
The Huskies were picked to finish 9th in the BIG EAST preseason conference poll.
Coaching the Huskies
Leading UConn in her sixth season is Head Coach Ellen Herman-Kimball.  The assistant coaches for the Huskies are Lindsey Froehlich (second season), Peter Netisingha (third season), and Sebastian Pokluda (first season).Â
How to Watch and Follow
The home non conference tournaments in September will be streamed on UConn+. All BIG East matches will be streaming on Flo Sports. Links to follow the matches throughout the season will be available on uconnhuskies.com. For live updates and analysis, follow @UConnVBall on Instagram, X, and Facebook.Â
