Aug. 27, 2010
Final Stats
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Aggie junior middle blockers Betsy Sedlak and Katie Denny combined for 31 kills against only three errors but junior Sarah Collette's .367 hitting led Utah to a four-set, 25-22, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23 win over UC Davis in the Utah Classic volleyball tournament at Crimson Court Friday evening.
The Aggies begin their 2010 season at 0-1. The Utes also were participating in their season opener, moving to 1-0.
Denny led all players with 16 kills, while Sedlak was right behind with 15. Kaitlyn Plum picked up a match-high 21 digs in her first match as the UC Davis libero. Senior Kayla Varney added 18 digs to lift her career total to 1,014. She becomes the sixth player in school history to surpass the 1,000-dig mark, and the first non-libero since Kelly Gaudino achieved the feat in 2003.
Freshman outside hitter Morgan Odale and senior opposite Karolina Bartkowiak each matched Collette's team-high figure of 12 kills. Bartkowiak also provided five block assists along the net.
UC Davis briefly took a one-point lead on Sedlak's kill at 16-15, then after Utah equalized on an Odale kill, Whitson put down a kill to give the Aggies a 17-16 edge. However, Odale scored a kill and block as part of a five-point Utah run to help claim the first-set win.
In the second set, senior opposite Melanie Adams teamed up with Sedlak on a block to even the score at 22-22, then scored a kill on Plum's serving to give UC Davis a one-point lead. But Utah took a timeout then scored three straight to take a 2-0 match lead.
The Aggies stormed to a third-set win, knocking down 18 kills with just two hitting errors in the frame. Denny provided six kills while sophomore Allison Whitson added five.
The fourth set provided the most variance as Collette scored four kills in a 10-5 Utah start. The Aggies recovered with five of the next six points to trim the lead to one, but Bartkowiak tallied a kill and block assist to spark the Utes to five straight, bringing the score to 15-10.
Late in the fourth, Adams and Sedlak each registered a kill and block assist to erase a 20-14 deficit. Odale put down a kill to restore the Ute lead to 21-20, then Sedlak equalized with a kill. Plum served up an ace on the ensuing possession to give UC Davis to a 22-21 lead before Bartkowiak converted the side out. The Utah senior later added her 12th kill to finish the match.
Freshman Jenny Woolway made her collegiate debut as the Aggies' starting setter. She totaled 52 assists with 7-1-11 hitting.
UC Davis returns to action with a match against Utah State to conclude the Utah Classic.
