Sept. 18, 2009
Final Stats
SAINT LOUIS - Freshman Allison Whitson and junior Kayla Varney each posted 14 kills to lead UC Davis to a 25-20, 25-21, 25-23 to previously undefeated Toledo in the first Friday match of the Billiken Invitational women's volleyball tournament, hosted by Saint Louis University at the Chaifetz Pavilion.
The Aggies improve to 8-4 for the season. The Rockets dip to 9-1 overall.
Varney added eight digs and a rare (for an outside hitter) solo block to her offensive output, while Whitson provided two block assists. Sophomore Katie Denny contributed six kills, two service aces and six total blocks from the middle. Senior setter Carson Lowden chipped in four blocks, a team-high 14 digs and a service ace in her bid to win a fourth all-tournament nod in as many weekends.
Sophomore outside hitter Amber DeWeerdt paced UT with 17 kills, a .333 hitting average and a match-best 19 digs.
The Whitson-Varney tandem on the left side lifted UC Davis to its opening-set win. Varney tallied six kills on nine swings and Whitson clubbed seven kills with a block, helping the Aggies climb to a 12-6 lead. The Rockets closed within three points on two different occasions behind kills from freshman Sondra Parys, but UC Davis closed out with a Denny ace and the set-winner by sophomore middle Betsy Sedlak.
In contrast to the first set, the Aggies finished strong in the second, pulling away from a 16-16 tie with a string of six unanswered points. Denny had two kills and a block during that stretch, then Varney struck a pair of kills for UC Davis' final two points, boosting her team to a 2-0 match lead.
The Aggies slipped to just .119 hitting average after a combined .315 in the first two frames, allowing the Rockets to establish an early 14-11 lead. However, Lowden served up an ace amidst a 4-0 run to shift the score to 15-14 in favor of UC Davis, then Denny recorded a block assist and kill to push the Aggies up by 20-17. Toledo managed to scramble back to a 23-23 tie, but a key service error set up a 24-23 match point and put the ball into Varney's hands for the final serve. She scored the match-winner to complete the sweep for the Aggies, their seventh three-set win of the year.
UC Davis continues play at the Billiken Invitational on Saturday with matches against SIU Edwardsville and 22nd-ranked Saint Louis.
