Nov. 1, 2008

Final Stats

DAVIS, Calif. - Sophomore outside hitter Kayla Varney had 14 kills and 15 digs while sophomore opposite Melanie Adams added 13 kills to lead UC Davis to a four-set upset over Cal Poly in Big West Conference volleyball action at the Pavilion Saturday night. The Aggies defeated the conference-leading Mustangs by scores of 18-25, 25-20, 25-20 and 25-22.

UC Davis improves to 11-13 overall and 3-8 in conference matches. Cal Poly, among the teams receiving votes in the CSTV/American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll, dips to 13-9 for the year and 8-3 in Big West play.

Senior Ali Waller led the Mustangs with 17 kills on 44 swings, while middle blocker Jaclyn Houston hit 8-1-13 and assisted on eight of her team's 15 total blocks. Senior opposite Kylie Atherstone struggled offensively early in the match, but hit seven of her 12 total kills in her team's fourth-set efforts.

For the Aggies, freshman Katie Denny chipped in eight kills and tallied eight block assists, while senior outside hitter Renee Ibekwe contributed 12 kills and 12 digs. Junior libero Avreeta Singh picked 17 digs in the match.

The Mustangs opened the match strong with a relatively decisive first-set victory. Houston and junior Gaby Rivera teamed up on a pair of consecutive blocks to bolster Cal Poly's 7-2 start in the early going, then senior Ali Waller had a block and kill to help pad the lead to 14-7. The Mustangs never trailed in the opener, piling up four blocks and three aces as a team. Meanwhile, UC Davis struggled offensively with a minus-.034 hitting average. Waller finished with four kills on six swings to lead Cal Poly in the frame.

UC Davis regrouped in time for the second set, and virtually never relinquished momentum for the remainder of the match. The Aggies built a 10-6 lead in the second behind offensive contributions from Ibekwe and with the help of some hitting woes by the Mustang hitters. Cal Poly eventually fought back to a 16-16 tie, then took a short-lived 17-16 lead when Dominique Olowolafe knocked down a one set into the Aggie court. UC Davis then scored four unanswered points to regain the lead, catching a break offensively when Ibekwe's awkwardly hit ball found the back corner of the Mustang court for the 20th point. Adams took over the game for the Aggies, posting three of her four second-set kills down the stretch, including the game-winner on a cross-court shot.

Both teams battled to seven ties in a hotly contested third set, although UC Davis rarely fell behind save for a brief 11-9 deficit. Varney posted five kills in that stanza, including two in the middle stretch that helped the Aggies break pen a 17-15 lead. UC Davis junior setter Carson Lowden went to the line to serve up part of a 4-0 run, getting key kills from Ibekwe and Denny while serving up an ace of her own. Ibekwe posted kills for her team's 22nd and 23rd points, then Adams knocked down a slide to establish a 24-18 set point. Houston teamed up for a pair of blocks to delay the UC Davis set win, but Varney eventually connected on a side-out kill to push the Aggies to a 2-1 match lead.

The third set saw the most efficient offense for both teams. UC Davis had 21 kills and hit .432 in that frame, while Cal Poly recorded offensive numbers of 14-2-23 for a .480 hitting average. Waller led the Mustangs with six kills in the third set.

The freshman Denny registered three kills and a block assist as part of the Aggies' 12-8 start to the fourth set, but the Mustangs battled back to a 14-14 tie behind Atherstone's hot hitting. UC Davis pulled ahead to as much as 21-17 after Ibekwe's offspeed shot found the open Mustang court.Olowolafe and setter Hailey Fithian later combined on another Mustang block to retie the score at 21-21, and Waller's 17th kill provided her team with a 22-21 lead. The Aggies again responded. Adams' tip tied the score at 22-22, Varney's shot skipped off the top of Cal Poly's block to reclaim the lead for the Aggies, then Adams sent a shot down the line to set up a 24-22 match point. With Ibekwe serving, Varney delivered a four set between the Mustang blockers for the match-winner.

The UC Davis victory snaps a streak of seven straight matches in the Aggie-Mustang series. Cal Poly is the defending Big West champion in volleyball, while Atherstone is the reigning conference Player of the Year.

The Aggies return to action on Friday with a match at UC Irvine.