Nov. 15, 2008
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - Junior outside hitter Angela Hupp posted 15 kills and four blocks to lead Cal State Northrdige to a 25-20, 25-22, 25-20 sweep over UC Davis in a Big West Conference women's volleyball match at the Pavilion Saturday night.
Sophomore right side hitter Melanie Adams paced the Aggies with 11 kills and a .556 hitting average, committing just one hitting error in 18 swings. Freshman middle blocker Katie Denny added six total blocks, while sophomore Kayla Varney had eight kills and nine digs.
With the loss, UC Davis moves to 12-16 for the season and 4-11 in Big West Conference matches. Northridge picks up just their second conference win, improving to 8-21 overall and 2-13 in league play.
Both teams fought to a close battle for most of the first set, with the Aggies generally holding a slim lead throughout. Adams was particularly effective offensively in the opener, hitting six kills on eight swings in that frame. With the Aggies ahead, 19-18, sophomores Siara Grayson and Lynda Morales scored back-to-back kills to launch a strong Matador finish. A pair of UC Davis shots missed just wide of the sideline stripe to bump the CSUN lead to 20-22. Then Hupp, who had been 0-for-6 to open the match, posted consecutive kills to seal the win.
Hupp continued her offensive contributions into the second set, scoring three kills during a 5-1 start. The Aggies scrapped their way back to a 19-19 tie after setter Carson Lowden posted a solo block on Huff then teamed up with Katie Denny for another block. However, the Matadors again finished strong while the Aggie offense sputtered with two late attacking errors, sending CSUN back up by a 23-19 advantage. Hupp finished with eight kills and two block assists in the second set alone.
The Aggies again fought back from a slow start in the third set, eventually taking an 11-9 lead after a Matador service error. But CSUN struck back with five straight points, getting two kills and a block from Grayson in that run. The Matadors maintained a two- or three-point gap for the next dozen points, then padded the lead to five after a libero Kelley Hanson's unlikely dig-kill. Hanson had gotten a touch on a hard attack by Aggie sophomore Julie King. Her dig sailed over the net and into a vacant portion of the Aggies' court for the point.
Grayson's sixth kill of the third set provided CSUN with a 24-20 match point, then an Aggie crosscourt shot sailed wide to deliver the Matadors the victory.
UC Davis' hitting efficiency dropped steadily during the match. The Aggies hit .225 on 16 kills in the opener, then fell to .171 in the second before managing just six kills and a .038 success rate in the third.
UC Davis concludes its 2008 season with a home match against Pacific on November 22.
