Update Oct. 31: The volleyball team earned back-to-back Big East wins over the weekend, defeating Notre Dame and DePaul and moving to 13-12 overall and 3-7 in conference play. Junior libero Kelsey Maving ’13 (CLAS) had 66 digs for the series, including a match-high 26 against DePaul, a match that included a career-high 16 kills by sophomore outside hitter Jackie Wattles ’14 (CLAS).

It takes a certain kind of personality to be the libero on a volleyball team, the player who registers a dig by preventing the ball from hitting the floor and then sets the ball in motion to begin the team’s next offensive effort to score. Head volleyball coach Holly Strauss-O’Brien describes the Huskies’ libero, junior Kelsey Maving ’13 (CLAS), as the team’s “junkyard dog.”

“You want a tenacious, relentless kid,” Strauss-O’Brien says. “Kelsey is that. She wants to win and absolutely hates to lose. She wants the ball at all times. It’s kind of an unrewarding position because she starts every play, continues every play, but doesn’t get to finish it. It’s a unique role to have.”

It is a role that Maving relishes, evidenced by her rapid ascent in the Huskies’ record books after only playing the position since her second year in Storrs. She became the 10th Husky to reach 1,000 career digs in a 3-0 win over Hartford in early October. As the volleyball team prepares to begin a four-game Big East home stand at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion over the next two weekends, Maving is ninth on the all-time dig list with 1,113.

A defensive setter in high school and in her first year at UConn, Maving agrees that being a libero suits her.

“I think it’s a personality thing. I have that mentality of never letting a ball drop and go for everything,” she says. “The dig mark, it’s an accomplishment. I’ll know I impacted the program.”

Maving is one of the reasons the Huskies have been able to improve upon last year’s injury-riddled season (6-19), and move to the middle of the pack of seven Big East teams trying to secure one of the final spots for the eight-team conference championships set for Nov. 18-20 in Milwaukee. The Huskies have played well at home and on neutral courts but have struggled as visitors on the road. The team stands at 11-12 overall and 1-7 in the conference.

“It’s kind of an illusion of where we stand in the Big East because we’ve played the top teams in the Big East and competed against them early in the season,” says Strauss-O’Brien. “While nothing’s guaranteed, we’ve got to take care of business, and I think we should position ourselves to make the Big East Tournament.”

Strauss-O’Brien says the Huskies’ key players are hitting their stride as a unit. Outsider hitter Mattison Quayle ’13 (CLAS) had a career high 21 kills in a match earlier this month, earning Big East Player of the Week recognition. Senior outside hitter Jordan Kirk ’12 (BUS) has recovered from an early season injury and has averaged 3.2 kills per set.

She says middle hitters Jackie Wattles ’14 (CLAS), Cayla Broadwater ’13 (CLAS), and Allison Nickel ’12 (CLAS) are playing solid defense and also contributing kills, while freshman outside hitter Devon Maugle ’15 (CLAS) has become the team’s “unsung hero” after struggling early in the season with her adjustment to the college-level game. She is now providing a consistency to the team, even registering 16 kills against South Florida in early October.

As the Huskies move toward the conclusion of the regular season, Maving’s leadership and competitive nature will also continue to be a key part of the team’s collective drive to reach the post-season.

“I talk a lot. You’ve got to give direction sternly and people follow,” Maving says. “It starts in practice and moves into the game. I’m involved in every play. You’ve got to be mentally checked in on every play. I’m kind of like the floor leader. It’s a lot to handle. It’s what I do.”

The volleyball team hosts Big East opponents Notre Dame on Oct. 29 at 2 p.m., DePaul on Oct. 30 at 2 p.m., West Virginia on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m., and Pittsburgh on Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. All matches are played at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.