Oct. 31, 2008
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - Senior outside hitter Lauren McLaughlin recorded 13 kills and hit .462 to lead UC Santa Barbara to a 25-20, 25-15, 25-11 sweep over UC Davis in Big West Conference volleyball action at the Pavilion Friday night.
The Aggies slip to 10-13 overall and 2-8 in conference. The Gauchos improve to 10-11 for the year and 6-4 in Big West play.
Sophomore Kayla Varney had seven kills with 18 digs, an ace and two block assists to lead UC Davis.
Gaucho sophomore Charlene DeHoog had 11 kills with .300 hitting in support of McLaughlin, while middle blocker Kasey Kipp hit 8-1-13 for a .538 success rate. Libero Leigh Stephenson led all players with 24 digs.
UC Davis established a 10-6 behind the serving of sophomore Kayla Varney, who served up an ace during that run. However, five Aggie hitting errors and a block and kill by DeHoog put UCSB back on top by a 14-12 margin. UC Davis fought back to within a single point on three occasions, including Julie King's slide that put the tally at 21-20. But UCSB finished with four straight points, with Kipp knocking down a pair of kills in the final flourish. Additionally, the Gauchos tallied six of their seven total blocks in that frame.
The Gaucho offense had 13 kills against just one error in the second set, including perfect 4-for-4 hitting from McLaughlin. After a 5-4 start, her offense supported the tough serving of setter Dana Vargas to eight straight points, crafting a 13-4 lead for UCSB. Right-side hitter Melanie Adams posted a pair of kills to help UC Davis close the gap to seven, but the Gauchos again finished strong. Kipp and DeHoog each had two kills in the final four points to put the match score at 2-0.
UCSB broke the third set with a 13-1 run, taking a close 9-8 edge to a dominating 22-9 advantage. The Aggie offense struggled during that run, managing as many overpasses (eight) as attacking attempts in that run. McLaughlin had seven of her kills in that run, including three straight behind the serving of reserve Lindsay Fletcher.
The Gauchos hit .290 for the match, compared to the .031 of the Aggies. UC Davis' hitting fell into the red during the third set, committing nine errors against five kills for a minus-.093 average.
The Aggies return to action on Saturday for continued Big West action against Cal Poly.
