Nov. 13, 2010
Final Stats
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Freshman outside hitter Kristina Graven tallied 15 kills against just one kill to help Cal Poly pull away to a four-set, 25-17, 23-25, 25-12, 25-21 victory over UC Davis in Big West Conference women's volleyball action at Mott Gymnasium Saturday night in front of 670.
The Aggies drop their fifth straight match, slipping to 16-12 overall and 7-8 in conference matches. The Mustangs improve to 21-7 for the season and 11-4 in Big West play.
Senior opposite Melanie Adams led UC Davis with 11 kills and a .269 hitting average. Sophomore Allison Whitson matched Adams' kill total and posted 10 digs on defense. Freshman Morgan Borch stepped in with 10 kills, while freshman setter Jenny Woolway led the Aggies with 11 digs.
Graven was one of four Cal Poly players with strong all-around numbers, both on offense and at the net. Dominique Olowolafe amassed 13 kills with a .429 success rate and four blocks; Jennifer Keddy posted 12 kills, a .381 average and five blocks; and opposite Holly Franks turned in 11 kills, .421 hitting and four blocks. As a team, the Mustangs served up seven aces and blocked 11 UC Davis shots.
Save for a 2-1 Aggie start, Cal Poly never trailed in the first set, pulling to a 16-10 behind back-to-back Olowolafe kills. Holly Franks fired two kills and a block assist in a 4-0 run to extend the edge to 21-12. The Aggies trimmed the deficit to six, with an Adams kill putting the tally at 21-15, but the Mustangs never allowed their guests any closer. Keddy put down two more kills in the final stretch to send Cal Poly to a 1-0 match lead. Cal Poly hit .379 in the opener compared to UC Davis' .129 efficiency rate.
The Aggies regrouped in their second-set victory, improving to 15 kills and holding the Mustangs to just .070 offensively. Betsy Sedlak and Morgan Borch each tallied a kill and teamed up on a block to craft a 12-9 UC Davis lead, although Keddy connected on two shots to help tie the frame at 12-12. The Aggies managed to stay a step ahead of the Mustangs for most of the second set, taking a late 21-18 lead on two Whitson kills. Cal Poly battled back and even claimed a 22-21 lead when Keddy and Sarah Cawrse combined on a stuff at the net. However, the Aggies retook advantage as a Borch kill equalized and a block assist and Katie Denny ace provided a triple set-point opportunity. An errant Cal Poly attack ticked the 25th point in favor of UC Davis, and the two teams went to the break in a 1-1 tie.
The Mustangs dominated the third frame, serving up three aces in a 13-5 start. Graven put down a pair of kills and Olowolafe figured on a pair of blocks to help maintain a 19-10 edge for the Mustangs, then Olowolafe went on the offensive with a pair of kills to highlight a run of five unanswered. UC Davis managed only seven kills in the third set, compared to .400 hitting from the Cal Poly side.
The two teams clashed to seven ties in the early going of the fourth before Cal Poly broke loose to three-point leads of 11-8, 12-9 and 13-10. Denny scored a pair of kills to help UC Davis close the gap to just 14-13, but the Aggies never overtook the Mustangs on the scoreboard. A pair of Aggie hitting errors pushed Cal Poly to a 21-17 lead, and after UC Davis later managed to halve that deficit to a 22-20 score, Keddy delivered two kills to set the Mustangs up with a 24-20 match point. Graven hit the winner two points later.
Cal Poly out-killed UC Davis by a 58-47 differential, the widest opponent margin since Long Beach State outdueled the Aggies, 48-31, back on October 8.
UC Davis finishes its 2010 season at home against Pacific on November 20. As a reminder, the match has been moved back to 7:30 p.m. to help reduce conflicts with the Causeway Classic football game that afternoon.
