Great Danes Look to Rebound at UConn

STORRS, Conn. - The Great Danes volleyball team will look to get on track this weekend as they head to Storrs to compete in the UConn Classic, playing in three matches.

UAlbany will take on Pittsburgh for the first-ever meeting on Friday, September 6th at 5 p.m. to begin the tournament. On Saturday, the team faces tournament host Connecticut at 12:30 p.m. for the first time since 2008, when UAlbany swept the Huskies and home. The Great Danes will finish with Northeastern at 5 p.m. that night. Northeastern leads the overall record at 6-3, but UAlbany has won the last three meetings.
The UAlbany-UConn will be broadcast on the Huskyvision VIdeo Player. Fans can access the broadcast with a subscription.

The Great Danes had a rough opening to the 2013 season, falling in three matches in the Los Angeles Westside Invite to UCLA, Loyola Marymount and North Texas. Amanda Dolan was named to the All-Tournament Team after finishing with 17 kills and six blocks. Tatum Jungsten also had 17 kills, while Viktoriia Stroilo concluded with 47 digs, including 23 against UCLA.

Pittsburgh, a new member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, went 2-2 in the Mizzou Tournament to begin the year. Junior outside hitter Jessica Wynn leads the team with 47 kills, adding 24 digs. Junior opposite hitter Kate Yeazel stands with 41 kills, while sophomore Jessica Boddy has a team-best 13 blocks, add- ing 20 kills.
American Athletic Conference member UConn will host the tournament at stands 2-2 this year after a midweek win over Hartford. The top outside hitter is junior Karson Ratliff, who has 41 kills and 10 blocks. In the middle, sophomore Erika Thomas has a squad-best 16 blocks, six aces and .319 hitting %, earning 34 kills, while junior libero Brianna Datti has 59 digs.

Northeastern, a former school in the America East now in the Colonial Athletic Assocation, enters at 1-3 after a win over New Hampshire. Senior outside hitter Kelly Bacon has amassed 52 kills and 43 digs. The leading blocker is senior Nichole Kurz, who has 18 blocks and 30 kills, while senior setter Ina Kameno- va stands with 102 assists, six aces and 29 digs.