Oct. 1, 2011
Final Stats
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Senior middle blockers Betsy Sedlak and Katie Denny each tallied 13 kills while junior outside hitter Allison Whitson posted her 1,000th career kill, but the milestone was offset by a spoiled triple match point and Kara Sherrard's match-winning kill as UC Santa Barbara outdueled UC Davis in a five-set Big West Conference women's volleyball match at the Thunderdome. The Gauchos won by set scores of 23-25, 25-22, 14-25, 25-23 and 18-16.
The Aggies fall to 16-3 overall and even their conference mark at 2-2. The Gauchos improve to 10-6 for the year and 3-1 in Big West play.
Sedlak put down 13 kills in 25 attempts for a .440 average, while Denny matched that kills total on 28 swings for a .357 success rate. The two also figured heavily on 16.5 total blocks: Sedlak with seven stuffs and Denny with five. Whitson led all UC Davis players with 18 kills while redshirt freshman Valerie Brain compiled 14 kills and a .333 attack average. Additionally, five Aggie players tallied double-figured digs. Libero Caroline Mercado picked up 23, setter Jenny Woolway had 18, Whitson and defensive specialist Kaitlyn Plum each had 12, and opposite Devon Damelio added 10.
For UCSB, Sherrard finished with 18 kills while senior middle blocker Lily Lopez contributed 17 kills and a .438 hitting average. Libero Chelsey Lowe tallied a match-high 25 digs and opposite Stacey Schmidt put up 14 kills, 10 digs and three service aces.
UC Davis had 6.5 team blocks in the first-set win, including back-to-back Whitson stuffs that helped the Aggies build a 16-11 lead. Lopez hit two kills in a 4-0 run to cut the lead to a single point, then added another to equalize at 19-19. But Damelio had two kills of her 4-0-10 hitting to help UC Davis shut the door and take an early match lead.
Sedlak and Denny teamed up for 11 kills in more offense-oriented second, but the Gauchos also cleaned up their attacking numbers. Schmidt hit 5-for-6 while Sherrard and Lopez added three kills, helping UCSB protect an early lead for most of the frame. Denny hit a pair of consecutive kills to bring the Aggies to within a 22-21 deficit (after having trailed by six) but Schmidt delivered a block assist and a kill for the 24th and 25th points, respectively.
UC Davis came out stronger after the break in taking the only lopsided set of the match. Denny and Brain each tallied four kills to lead the Aggies to .314 hitting and an 80 percent side-out conversion. Defensively, Damelio and Sedlak each provided three blocks and Mercado had six digs in the third, helping the Aggies ride a 9-1 run to an 11-point victory.
In contrast to the third, the two teams battled closely in the fourth, exchanging 11 ties and five lead changes. UCSB opened with six of the first eight points, only to see that lead diminish to a 12-11 Aggie lead on a Damelio kill. Late in the set, the Gauchos held a 23-20 lead with Schmidt at the service line. But Sedlak delivered a side-out kill, Lopez committed an attacking error and Whitson notched her eighth kill of the set to tie the frame at 23-23. UCSB regrouped with back-to-back kills, forcing the fifth set.
UC Davis appeared to be in position to claim the fifth set, holding leads of 4-1, 10-7 and 13-10. The Gauchos claimed serve on a net violation but Sedlak answered with a side-out kill to give the Aggies a 14-11 triple match point. Sophomore Jenna Wilson's solo block sparked a four-point run that gave UCSB a 15-14 match-point opportunity, but her block error allowed the Aggies to tie at 15-15. Each team continued to trade side outs until Sherrard scored the winner in support of Leah Sully's serving.
Saturday's marathon marks the fifth five-set match of the year for UC Davis, which had won the previous four.
With her 1,000th kill, which took place near the end of the first set, Whitson becomes just the seventh player in Aggie history to reach that milestone and only the second junior to achieve the feat.
UC Davis returns home for continued Big West play, hosting UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Northridge on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Please note that due to a Chancellor's event, these matches will take place at Upper Hickey Gym rather than the usual Pavilion site.
