Women take a break from Big East play

After a 7-0 loss at home against. Cincinnati, coach Glenn Marshall still had time to crack jokes after the match. After the laughter faded, he began to talk seriously about his team. The previous day the Huskies beat Seton Hall 5-2 but did not play with the same mentality and confidence the next morning vs. the Bearcats. Marshall knows that his team has another busy and tough week, but will get a break today from Big East competition.

Northeast Conference and in-state foe Quinnipiac will travel up to Storrs from Hamden this afternoon. The Bobcats are 5-7 this year, with a 1-0 record in conference. They also shared a common opponent with UConn. Quinnipiac lost to Army 6-1. The Black Knights also defeated UConn by the same score in the Huskies' second match of the spring.

"Quinnipiac is a very good Division 1 team. It will be a tough match against a good team," Marshall said.

The Bobcats are in fact a very good team. Both the men's and women's tennis programs have risen to dominate the NEC. The women's team has won an impressive five straight NEC tournament titles. Last season the scheduled match was rained out. Although UConn competes in the Quinnipiac Invitational almost every fall, the last time the Huskies played head-to-head with Quinnipiac was in 2006. UConn won 4-3 at home.

This season UConn is 6-8 overall and 2-5 in the Big East. In their last six matches UConn has split them, going 3-3. Although it is out of conference, it goes without saying that the Huskies want to rebound and improve their record.

"We'll have to play well to bounce back," Marshall said. UConn will have to play very well to beat the five-time NEC champs.