Sept. 24, 2009
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - Freshman Allison Whitson posted a match-high 19 kills while sophomore middle blocker Betsy Sedlak contributed on nine of her team's 16 total blocks, leading UC Davis to a 25-18, 20-25, 25-22, 25-16 upset of Pacific in a Big West Conference women's volleyball match Thursday night in Upper Hickey Gym.
The win marks the first time in 13 tries the Aggies have defeated Pacific, a series that dates back to the program's AIAW days in the 1970s.
UC Davis improves to 10-5 for the year and opens conference play at 1-0. Pacific dips to 10-2 and 0-1, having suffered its only other setback against No. 5 Florida on September 5.
Juniors Melanie Adams and Kayla Varney each had 10 kills, while sophomore middle blocker Katie Denny tallied .333 hitting and six block assists for the Aggies. Senior Avreeta Singh picked up 14 digs to pace UC Davis' floor defense.
Outside hitters Mallori Gibson and Svenja Engelhardt combined for 27 kills to lead the Tigers offensively.
The Aggies hit .455 in the opening set to claim the early lead, riding back-to-back Whitson kills to grab an early 9-7 lead. They later pulled ahead to a 19-13 advantage behind Varney's tough serving. She posted an ace then forced a Pacific freeball that Whitson hammered down into the Tiger front court. Whitson also provided a strong finish with a tool at 23-15, then the set-winning tip two points later.
The Tigers rebounded in the second set, breaking loose from a 9-9 tie to a 13-9 lead on setter Olivia Riley's serving. In contrast to its first-set offense, the Aggies struggled to stay in system through the middle stages, committing three hitting errors to fall behind by a 16-11 margin. However, Denny and Sedlak stuck a one-set and a tip, respectively, to help UC Davis scramble back to just a 17-15 deficit. Both Whitson and Pacific senior Natalie Tomaszewska traded offensive shots until Gibson's kill lifted the Tigers to a 23-20 lead. Pacific capitalized on a pair of hitting errors to finish the set and tie the match at 1-1.
The Aggie serving and net defense led the way in the third-set victory, as Varney's back-to-back aces aided a run of six straight points to a 15-7 lead. Sedlak picked up four of her team's seven blocks in the frame, including a solo stuff that pushed UC Davis to a late 22-18 lead. Engelhardt ripped two kills to help Pacific trim the deficit back to two points, then Whitson found the open Tiger court to provide the Aggies with a 24-22 set point. Adams scored the winner on a tool near the right antenna two serves later.
Whitson pounded out six kills in the fourth set to boost UC Davis to .448 hitting. The two teams battled closely to an 12-12 tie before Denny and Whitson teamed up on a pair of blocks in a 4-0 Aggie run. The Tigers never approached to closer than three points after that point. Varney's kill near the middle of the tape pushed the lead to 22-16, Pacific sent an attack into the net to make it 23-15, then Sedlak contributed in two straight blocks to help finish the match victory.
The Aggies' .455 and .448 hitting in Sets 1 and 4 contrasted greatly with their .071 and .062 success rates in the middle two frames. They also capitalized on a total of 14 Tiger service errors while serving up six aces of their own, three by Varney.
The 12 previous UC Davis losses to Pacific included nine since beginning its reclassification to Division I play in 2003.
The Aggies continue Big West Conference action against Cal State Northridge on Friday night.
