Oct. 1, 2005

Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. - Senior outside hitter Jamie DeKiewiet posted 18 kills while teammate Valerie Bueno added 12 kills and a match-high 16 digs as UC Riverside swept UC Davis, 30-18, 30-20, 30-28, in nonconference women's volleyball action the Pavilion Saturday.

The Aggies drop to 2-15 overall. The Highlanders improve to 12-3 for the season.

With her offensive output, DeKiewiet also became the all-time career leader at UC Riverside. She needed just six to pass Sheryl Benson for her school's lifetime record.

Junior outside hitter Nicole Read had 10 kills to pace the Aggies offensively. However, UC Davis' boxscore was marked by its bench play. Redshirt freshman Amy McMahon had four kills and a pair of blocks, and junior Rachel Keener provided six kills and two blocks. Defensive specialist Cleo Schiff was summoned in to provide back-row stability in the later stages of the match, and Jenny Kennedy and Renee Ibekwe also earned court time to aid in the Aggies' Game 3 comeback effort.

"Last night [against Cal State Fullerton], we gave away a lot of gifts. Tonight, I thought we made them earn their points," said UC Davis head coach Stephanie Hawbecker. "They have good athletes who are in their senior year. They're a good veteran team that is road-ready. I felt we were making them serve tough, hit extremes and go to their go-to players to beat us. I can live with that."

UC Riverside employed a 10-2 run to break open an early 16-13 into a 26-15 edge in Game 1. Bueno had three kills and DeKiewiet served up a pair of aces during that run. Bueno was the offensive leader early, tallying six kills on 10 swings in the first game. Highlander setter Kym Murphy applied the finishing touches, assisting on a block for her team's 29th point, then knocking down an Aggie overpass for the game-winner.

In Game 2, the Highlanders crafted an early 13-9 lead, but UC Davis managed to close in to within a point on two separate occasions. McMahon put down a free-ball kill at 15-14, and senior opposite Jill McPheeters scored a kill to bring the margin to 18-17. However, UC Davis committed back-to-back hitting errors to fall behind by 21-17, then DeKiewiet turned on the offense in the late stages of the game. She hit 8-0-12 with five digs in the second game alone, including a kill that capped a long, sprawling rally at 24-17.

"I felt in the second game in particular, we were serving right at them, so they were running their offense at will," Hawbecker said. "In the third game, we were much better at serving in the seams and taking away their favorite shots. We contained them a lot better, and it all comes from tough serving."

The Aggies used 12 different players in a stronger Game 3 effort. After trailing the Highlanders for most of the game, freshman libero Nichole Brown's ace tied the score at 22-22. UCR pulled ahead to 25-22 on three straight UC Davis miscues, taking a 29-25 match-point situation on DeKiewiet's 18th kill of the night.

Keener's side-out kill cut the lead to three points, then a service ace by Aggie middle blocker Katie Wilson brought the lead down to 29-27. Keener and McMahon teamed up for a block to trim the advantage to 29-28, then UCR's junior middle Janiece Manuel beat the Aggie block to finish the sweep.

UC Davis returns to action on October 6 at Pacific.

UC RIVERSIDE (kills-aces-blocks) - Amy Halperin 3-0-0, Valerie Bueno 12-0-1, Kym Murphy 7-1-2, Angie Mitchell 8-0-2, Janiece Manuel 4-0-0, Jamie DeKiewiet 18-2-1, Kelly Crow 2-0-0, Tarin Tartaglia 0-0-0, Raquel Salinas 1-0-2, Kimberly McNeal 0-1-0. Totals 55-4-4.5. Assists - Kym Murphy 42. Digs leader - Valerie Bueno 16.

UC DAVIS (kills-aces-blocks) - Michelle Nelson 0-0-0, Katelyn Astruc 1-1-1, Kelly Patterson 2-0-1, Chantal Paschetta 2-1-1, Jenny Pierce 2-0-0, Nicole Read 10-0-0, Amy McMahon 4-0-2, Jenny Kennedy 0-0-0, Cleo Schiff 0-0-0, Jill McPheeters 2-0-0, Renee Ibekwe 0-0-0, Katie Wilson 3-1-1, Rachel Keener 6-0-2, Nichole Brown 0-2-0. Totals 32-5.4.0. Assists - Katelyn Astruc 21. Digs leader - Nichole Brown 14.