Aug. 24, 2007
Box Score
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Junior outside hitter Renee Ibekwe pounded out a career-high 22 kills while sophomore Tori Hooper hit .542 to lead UC Davis, but Northern Arizona defended its home court in a five-game win at the Hilton Garden Inn NAU Invitational women's volleyball tournament at the Rolle Activity Center Friday evening. The Lumberjacks held off an Aggie comeback, with scores of 30-15, 30-24, 29-31, 26-30 and 16-14.
UC Davis, competing in the first official athletics event of the 2007-08 season, opens the year at 0-1.
Hooper, who played sparingly as a freshman in 2006, matched her entire previous season's total with six blocks. She knocked down 16 kills on 24 swings for a team-leading hitting percentage. Junior Erin Turner and freshman Kayla Varney combined for 21 kills for the Aggies offensively.
Seinor outside hitter Kim Babcock led NAU with 20 kills and three blocks while junior Roni Greenwood added 13 kills with three service aces. Junior libero Brittany Stowers led all players with 13 digs.
UC Davis struggled in the early going of the match, committing 20 hitting errors in the first two games. In contrast, NAU hit .500 in a dominating Game 1, getting five kills from Babcock. The Aggies managed to creep within two points midway through Game 2, but a 7-1 run helped the Lumberjacks pull away to the win. Junior libero Brittany Stowers sealed the game with a service ace.
Down 2-0 in games and facing a 20-12 deficit after an ace by Greenwood, UC Davis managed to claim the next two games to tie the match. The Aggies capitalized on four NAU attack errors in a 6-0 run in the third, cutting the margin to 20-18. Later in the frame, Michelle Nelson's service ace and a block by Turner and senior Kelly Patterson helped tie the game at 24-24. UC Davis had to fight its way from a 29-26 triple match-point situation to close Game 3. Hooper picked up a side-out kill to send Varney to the service line, then the Aggie freshman served up four straight points to lift her team to a 31-26 victory.
Varney and Hooper rode their offensive momentum into the fourth game, striking two kills each as part of a 7-2 Aggie start. Senior middle blocker Colleen Flooker later scored a block assist and a pair of kills to bring the `Jacks back to a 8-8 tie. UC Davis managed to maintain a nominal lead for the majority of Game 4, then Ibekwe recorded three kills in the final stretch to help the Aggies craft a 28-25 edge. Patterson and Turner finished with two kills to close out the frame, forcing the decisive Game 5. As a team, UC Davis hit .400 in Game 4.
Hooper had back-to-back kills early in the fifth to help her team out to a 5-1 start, but NAU inched its way back to an 8-6 deficit then took a 9-8 lead on a Babcock kill. UC Davis tied the score on six further occasions but never regained the lead. Kelly Verboom put down her fifth kill of the match to lift the `Jacks to a 15-14 match point, then Babcock scored the game-winner to end the match.
The NAU Invitational continues through Saturday. The Aggies face New Mexico State at 10 a.m. on Saturday, then close the tourney with a 4:30 afternoon match against Albany.
