Oct. 10, 2008
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - Despite a match-high 20 kills and 16 digs from Aggie senior Renee Ibekwe, UC Riverside posted a strong finish to close out a four-set, 25-22, 26-24, 21-25, 28-26 win over UC Davis in a Big West Conference women's volleyball match at the Pavilion Friday night.
The Aggies slip to 8-10 overall and 0-5 in conference play. The Highlanders move to 7-12 for the year and even their Big West record to 2-2.
UC Davis senior opposite Chantal Paschetta chipped in eight kills against just one error on offense, while serving up three aces from the service line. Junior libero Avreeta Singh led all playres with 23 digs on floor defense.
For UCR, sophomore outside hitter Kelly Simpson had 12 kills and hit .429, while junior Dominique Cowling led her team with 14 kills and 17 digs. In all, the Highlanders tallied 18 blocks, 14 of which involved sophomore middle Shannon Moyneur.
After the Highlanders crafted an 18-12 lead in the opening set, UC Davis managed to scramble back to a 21-21 tie. Amy Read's kill gave UCR a 22-21 lead, then Simpson posted a block assist to extend the margin to 23-21. Cowling and Simpson each scored kills down the stretch to complete the first-set win.
Offensively, Aggie sophomore Julie King enjoyed a hot start to Game 2, hitting five kills on her first five swings to help UC Davis take a 14-12 lead. However, UCR senior libero Kimberly McNeal served her team back into contention as the out-of-system Aggies committed a pair of hitting errors, allowing the Highlanders to creep back to a 15-15 tie. Ibekwe scored a pair of kills as UC Davis regained the lead, but UCR again fought back to a 20-20 tie.
After another King kill provided UC Davis with a 24-23 set point, UC Riverside responded with three straight points to take the win. Simpson pushed a tip over the net and into the open Aggie court for the 26th point.
Paschetta hit four errorless kills and had two of her three aces in the third set, helping UC Davis transform a 12-9 deficit into a 17-16 lead, then a pair of UCR offensive miscues pushed that margin to 19-16. The Highlanders never approached within less than two points in the frame. Peterson's kill established a set point for UC Davis, then King tallied a solo block against Moyneur for the game-winner.
The Aggie momentum carried into the fourth set. UC Davis picked up offensive contributions from Ibekwe and Paschetta, and even setter Asia Casino, to form a 15-9 lead in the early going. But Moyneur's net defense helped Riverside scrape back to a 17-16 deficit, then Cowling served up five straight points to push UCR out to a 22-18 edge. The two teams battled to ties at 22-22, 24-24, 25-25 and 26-26, with senior left-sider Kelly Fink recording four kills in that span. Finally, Simpson scored on a tip to bring the score to 27-26, then Moyneur teamed up with Cowling for yet another block to close out the match.
Fink, Cowling and McNeal each had 17 digs for UC Riverside, which tallied 83 as a team.
UC Davis returns to action on Saturday for a 7 p.m. home match against UC Irvine.
