Oct. 7, 2011
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - Redshirt freshman Valerie Brain posted 12 kills while junior libero Caroline Mercado collected a match-high 15 digs to lead UC Davis to a 27-25, 25-19, 25-20 sweep of UC Riverside in Big West Conference women's volleyball action at Upper Hickey Gym in front of 574 fans Friday evening.
The Aggies, among the teams receiving votes in Monday's AVCA Top 25 poll, improve to 17-3 overall and 3-2 in conference. The Highlanders slip to 4-14 on the year and 1-3 in Big West play.
Brain was the only UC Davis player with double-digit attacking numbers. Junior Allison Whitson added eight kills and sophomore Devon Damelio provided seven. On the opposite side of the tape, UCR juniors Amanda Vialpando and Shelby LeDuff tallied 16 and 14 kills, respectively.
Helping the Aggies' cause was a total of 26 Riverside hitting errors and seven service errors. Both teams struggled with their efficiency in the opening set, combining for 19 attack errors. Whitson and senior middle blocker Betsy Sedlak combined on a pair of blocks to help send UC Davis to a 10-7 start, but Vialpando had two kills and block assist in helping UCR score eight of the next nine points in crafting a 15-11 lead. Then the Highlanders committed two of their 11 first-set hitting errors to help the Aggies back to a 15-15 tie, one of 11 equalizers in that set.
LeDuff delivered two late kills to provide UCR with 24-23 and 25-24 set points, but UC Davis managed to spoil the opportunity both times. Finally, after senior middle blocker Katie Denny took advantage of a Highlander net violation to tie the set at 25-25, Damelio planted a long shot near UCR's baseline to put the Aggies into set-point footing. LeDuff then missed long on a shot for UC Davis' 27th point.
After struggling to a .128 hitting average in the opener, the Aggies settled down in their second- and third-set wins, improving to respective success rates of .250 and .280. Denny had two early stuffs plus a pair of key zero blocks that resulted in additional Riverside errors, helping UC Davis craft a 12-7 edge in the second set. Vialpando notched three kills in a 7-1 run that briefly gave Riverside a one-point lead, but Brain answered with three kills in a 5-1 Aggie stretch that put the score at 20-16 in the host's favor. The Highlanders failed to close the gap to less than three down the stretch. Sedlak put up a pair of blocks to help UC Davis finish the set and head into the break with a 2-0 match lead.
Brain, who was an errorless 5-for-8 in the first set, continued to earn the bulk of the offensive reps in the second. She had six kills on 13 swings, while Mercado had seven digs.
Despite the Aggies' strong start, the third set brought the closest overall battle of the match, complete with eight ties and six lead changes. Damelio had a kill and a service ace to help UC Davis take a 9-5 lead, only to have LeDuff hit back-to-back kills in bringing Riverside to a 10-9 edge. Neither team surrendered much ground until a missed line shot put the Highlanders to their biggest edge of 16-14. However, Damelio's tough serving resulted in an ace and three UCR attack errors amidst six unanswered Aggie points.
Whitson had two kills and Denny served up an ace in the final flourish, helping the Aggies complete their first three-set win since a sweep of Pacific on September 21.
UC Davis continues Big West Conference action with a match at Cal State Northridge on Saturday night. The contest again takes place at Upper Hickey Gym and will feature a postmatch autograph session for all fans.
