Sept. 19, 2007
Box Score
DAVIS, Calif. - Junior outside hitter Erin Turner recorded a career-high 18 kills but Pacific's balanced offense overcame an Aggie comeback in the Tigers' 30-26, 30-28, 26-30, 30-24 win over UC Davis in a Big West Conference women's volleyball match at the Pavilion Wednesday evening.
The Aggies, playing in their first conference action in almost four years, drop to 3-9 for the year and start at 0-1 in Big West play. The Tigers improve to 7-2 overall and 1-0 in conference. Wednesday's match was the first Big West Conference competition in any sport since the university became an official league member in July of 2007.
Senior middle blocker Johanna Hilbers had 14 kills to lead four Pacific players in double-figured offense. Freshman outside hitter Svenja Engelhardt added 12 kills with four aces and three solo blocks. Setter Shannon Krug patrolled the floor defense with a match-high 20 digs.
For UC Davis, 13 different players saw court action during the match. Sophomore Tori Hooper provided a spark in her team's Game 3 win, finishing with five kills and four digs. Freshman Julie King also continues to see her playing time increase. She figured in nine of her team's 11.5 total blocks.
The Aggies made late comeback runs in both Games 1 and 2 after Pacific had crafted substantial leads in each. In the opener, Hilbers knocked down a kill and an ace to put the Tigers up by 25-18. Carson Lowden served up an ace and a pair of free-ball opportunities for her offense to help the Aggies scramble back to a 28-26 deficit.
In Game 2, Hilbers posted a block assist and a kill during a 5-0 Tiger run that broke the game open to a 22-17 margin. This time, Avreeta Singh served up a comeback run for UC Davis, cutting the lead to 27-26. Meagan MimMack later planted a deep kill into the Aggie backcourt to set up a 29-27 game point, helping her team take a 2-0 match lead into the break.
Hooper entered the match midway through Game 3 and helped UC Davis overcome a four-point deficit. Mimmack had sent a short tip into the open Aggie court, then drilled a crosscourt shot for a kill to push the Tigers up by 20-16. Turner's serving helped force a pair of Pacific hitting errors, then set up a free-ball kill for Hooper that tied the game at 23-23. The Aggie middle hit two kills and served up an ace down the stretch, lifting her team to a 30-26 win in the third frame.
The two teams battled to 11 straight ties during the middle portion of Game 4, with neither taking more than a one-point lead. Pacific broke the trend briefly with a 22-20 advantage, but a service error and a Hooper tool again knotted the score at 22-22. King and freshman Kayla Varney later teamed up for a left-side block to give UC Davis a 24-23 edge, but that proved to the be the last of the Aggie scoring. The Tigers scored six straight down the stretch, mostly behind the serving of sophomore Dancyne Kama, to take down the match in four games.
Wednesday's match was the first conference contest of any kind for UC Davis volleyball since November of 2003. The Aggies had entered a four-year transition period to Division I, ending with their official reclassification in July this year.
UC Davis returns to action on Friday at Cal State Fullerton.
