Oct. 15, 2010
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - Freshman outside hitter Kristina Graven tallied a match-high 16 kills while senior middle Dominique Olowolafe added 14 kills and .417 hitting to lift Cal Poly from a first-set deficit to a four-set win over UC Davis in Big West Conference women's volleyball action at the Pavilion Friday evening. The Mustangs won the match by scores of 24-27, 25-15, 25-23 and 25-18.
The Aggies fall to 12-7 for the year and 4-3 in Big West play. Cal Poly improves to 15-5 overall and 5-2 in conference matches.
For UC Davis, junior middle blocker Katie Denny, sophomore outside hitter Allison Whitson and freshman outside hitter Morgan Borch each registered 12 kills. Junior middle Betsy Sedlak chipped in 10 kills and a .381 average. Senior libero Kayla Varney and freshman setter Jenny Woolway tallied 18 and 13 digs, respectively.
The Mustangs hit a robust .354 for the match, committing just six offensive errors across their three set wins. Sophomore middle Jennifer Keddy chipped in 16 kills on a team-high 39 swings. Senior libero Alison Mort recorded 26 digs, including eight in each of her team's third- and fourth-set victories.
The two squads battled to 10 ties in the opening set. Junior outside hitter Catie Smith powered her way to three kills and an ace to boost Cal Poly to an 11-6 start, but a pair of Kaitlyn Plum service aces sparked the Aggies to a 5-1 rally, reducing the Mustang lead to 12-11. Melanie Adams later scored a tool and a block to tie the frame at 14-14, sending the two teams into their back-and-forth dramatics.
After Borch boosted her team to a 20-17 lead on a kill and block assist, Davis High product Molly Pon scored a pair of kills to erase the edge to a 20-20 tie. Neither team managed a lead of more than one point until final push. Cal Poly fell into a 26-25 hole on a net violation, then Borch and Denny teamed up for a block for the 27th and winning point.
The Mustangs stormed back in the second set to tie the match at 1-1, hitting .393 on 28 swings while UC Davis struggled to 10 hitting errors. Denny hit back-to-back kills to help the Aggies close to within a 12-11 deficit, but Graven and Olowolafe promptly combined for two blocks to ignite a 12-1 stretch. Olowolafe later scored the game-winner on a one set to send the teams to break locked in a 1-1 match tie.
Cal Poly pounded out 11 kills on its first 22 attempts to claim a 16-11 start before UC Davis clawed its way back to a 21-21 tie. Sedlak and Adams each had two kills while Plum served up an ace in the comeback run. Graven ended the Aggie threat with an offspeed kill, pushing the Mustangs ahead for good. UC Davis managed to trim the deficit to a single point on two separate occasions until Keddy slammed the winner from the right pin.
Other than a Denny ace Â-- her third of the match -- on the opening point, the Aggies never led in the fourth set. Cal Poly put down six of its first eight attacks in a 12-6 start, then registered three blocks to score six of the next nine. Denny tallied three more kills and a block down the stretch, but UC Davis could not approach by closer than five through that final push.
The Aggies hit just .157 for the match, committing 26 attacking errors (compared to Cal Poly's six) in the second through fourth sets.
UC Davis returns to action in a home match against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday.
