Oct. 18, 2008
Final Stats
FULLERTON, Calif. - Sophomore outside hitter Kayla Varney posted 13 kills and 22 digs to lead UC Davis to a five-game, 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 15-9 win over Cal State Fullerton in Big West Conference women's volleyball action at Titan Gym on Saturday night.
The Aggies complete a weekend sweep against conference foes, improving to 10-11 overall and 2-6 in Big West play. The Titans move to 11-11 for the year, and 4-3 in conference matches.
Freshman Katie Denny matched Varney's total of 13 kills to go with her four blocks. Junior libero Avreeta Singh tied Varney with 22 digs, while sophomore opposite Melanie Adams served up five of her team's nine aces.
For Fullerton, Erin Saddler and Brittany Moore each had a match-high 16 kills, while libero Cami Croteau picked up 35 digs.
"It feels great to get a quality win. It's nice to be that squirrel that gets the nut," said UC Davis head coach Jamie Holmes. "The week of practice prepared the team to approach the game with more energy, and I think we had more of a court presence this weekend."
"If you look at the stats, you'll see a more balanced attack. Carson [Lowden] had her best match in a long, long time. We had 45 attempts from our middles. We had Mel get 34 swings from the back."
In fact, only 79 of the Aggies' 193 attempts came from left-siders Varney, senior Renee Ibekwe and freshman Keala Peterson during Saturday's win.
After weathering the Titans' .316 hitting in the first-set loss, UC Davis came back from a 17-14 deficit in Game 2 to tie the match. Denny and Ibekwe each had two kills and teamed up for a block down the stretch of the frame.
The Aggies held an 18-14 lead in the third set, but allowed Fullerton to scrape its way to a 21-21 tie behind Saddler's timely offense. Adams later served up an ace to give UC Davis a 23-21 lead, then the Titans scored four unanswered to claim the victory and the match advantage.
In the fourth set, UC Davis rallied to take a 22-18 lead and actually held a 24-20 quadruple set point to tie the match. Fullerton then responded with three straight scores, including a block and kill from Alex Wolnisty. But Varney put down her fifth kill of the frame to send the match to its deciding fifth set.
The Aggies came out strong in the fifth, crafting a 8-2 lead at the changeover. Then after Moore's kill cut the deficit to 11-9, UC Davis responded with four straight points to complete the win. Lowden posted a kill to set up 14-9 match point, then combined with Denny for the match-winner.
In addition to her setting chores, Lowden hit 6-0-10 while tallying 17 digs and four blocks.
UC Davis returns to action on Friday for a Big West road match at Long Beach State.
