Sept. 5, 2008
Final Stats
USAFA, Colo. - Senior outside hitter Renee Ibekwe totalled 30 kills while sophomore middle blocker Julie King hit a combined .480 to lead UC Davis to a pair of wins on the first day of the Air Force Invitational collegiate women's volleyball tournament Friday. The Aggies picked up a four-set, 25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 25-18 win over North Carolina State in their morning match, then added a four-set, 25-14, 22-25, 25-20, 25-13 victory over Montana State during the afternoon.
The Aggies, winners of four straight, improve to 4-1 overall. This is the longest winning streak for the program since taking four consecutive victories late in the 2001 season.
Freshman Keala Peterson tallied 10 kills against the Wolfpack then hit 15-3-38 for a .316 success rate versus the Bobcats in the afternoon session. King also provided five blocks on defense against MSU, part of a team total of 9.0 stuffs. Junior libero Avreeta Singh was UC Davis' leader on floor defense, scooping up 38 digs in eight sets.
The Aggies won two tightly contested sets early in the N.C. State match to take the early lead. Peterson's side-out kill tied the first set at 23-23, then freshman Lauren DeCelles scored the winner on a solo block against Arlee Tamietti. In the second frame, the two teams battled to a 21-21 tie before Ibekwe and senior right-side hitter Chantal Paschetta each recorded kills in a 4-0 finish.
UC Davis had a chance to complete the sweep in the third set, crafting a 19-15 lead behind back-to-back King kills. However, a kill and block by senior middle Aiwane Iboaya helped the Wolfpack knot the score at 19-19. Freshmen Margaret Salata and Isis Gardner each scored kills to give NC State a 25-22 win. But the Aggies recovered in Set 4, fighting back from an 11-9 deficit en route to a 25-18 victory. Peterson notched four kills down the final stretch.
Iboaya paced the Wolfpack with 13 kills and a .500 hitting average.
Against Montana State, UC Davis bookended its match victory with dominating performances in the first and fourth sets. Junior Tori Hooper had a kill and block assist while Peterson added consecutive kills in a late Aggie surge that extended the margin to 21-12 in the opening set. UC Davis slipped to just .075 hitting in a three-point setback in the second frame, then came out strong in its third-set win. Peterson had two more kills in a 9-4 start to the third, then Ibekwe added four down the stretch of the 25-20 Aggie win.
UC Davis never trailed in the fourth against MSU. King scored a kill and solo block in her team's 5-1 start, then Hooper served up back-to-back aces to bump the lead to 13-5. King and Ibekwe each provided two kills to finish the fourth set and help seal the Aggies' match victory.
Junior middle blocker Nicole Grypuik led the Bobcats with 12 kills and .290 hitting.
The Air Force Invitational continues through Saturday. UC Davis will face Akron at 10 a.m. PDT, then conclude the weekend against the host Falcons at 2 p.m.
