Oct. 8, 2011
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - Redshirt sophomore Devon Damelio provided 10 kills and two aces while outside hitters Allison Whitson and Valerie Brain combined for 21 kills, helping UC Davis complete a 25-19, 26-25, 25-23 sweep of Cal State Northridge in Big West Conference women's volleyball action at Upper Hickey Gym Saturday night.
The Aggies improve to 18-3 overall and 4-2 in conference matches. The Matadors slip to 8-9 for the year and 2-3 in Big West play.
Damelio committed just one error in 21 swings for a team-best .429 hitting average. Whitson had 11 kills to lead UC Davis, while Brain had 10 kills on a team-high 29 swings. Senior middle blocker Betsy Sedlak led all players with six block assists. Sophomores Jenny Woolway and Lindsay Dowd split up setting duties, chalking up assist totals of 20 and 15, respectively. Woolway handled such chores to start the match, then Dowd stepped in midway through the second and finished the contest.
For Northridge, sophomore outside hitter Mahina Haina posted 17 kills - almost half of her team's 37 - and hit .433 for the match in 30 attempts.
Damelio pounded out five kills in the Aggies' first-set win, serving up an ace to help her team score three straight to crack an 8-8 tie. Whitson put down an errant free ball for a kill, then teamed up with Sedlak for a kill to give UC Davis a 16-12 advantage, then Sedlak came out of the ensuing timeout with another kill to bump the margin to five. The Aggies never allowed Northridge within closer than four points in taking the match lead.
While the Matadors failed to challenge late in the first, they managed to fight back with two scrappy comebacks in each of the second and third sets.
Whitson came out firing with two kills and a block in a 10-4 start to the second set, but the Matadors whittled away until a Sydney Gedryn ace tied the frame at 14-14. After a service error gave UC Davis both the lead and the serve, CSUN opposite Natalie Allen fired a kill for the 15-15 equalizer, then a missed Aggie line shot gave the Matadors their first edge at 16-15. However, UC Davis scored three of the next four to reclaim a 19-17 advantage .
Later in the frame, after Whitson's kill gave the Aggies a 24-22 double set point, Haina scored a kill and an ace to even things up at 24-24. UC Davis called a timeout, then Whitson came up with kills from the middle and the back row to close out the second set and give the Aggies a 2-0 match lead heading to the break.
In similar fashion to the second, UC Davis came out strong early in the third set. Senior Katie Denny had a block assist and a kill to spark a four-point run to 9-5. Northridge later scored three straight to close in within two points before Brain pounded a thunderous kill off the face of Monica McFarland to make it 12-9. The Aggies protected their lead until a net violation followed by a Haina kill evened the tally to 18-18. Brain restored the UC Davis lead on the next point with a kill then Dowd dumped a ball into the far corner for a 20-18 lead.
As it had in Set 2, Northridge managed to tie the set after Allen's net violation gave the Aggies a 23-21 lead. She reponded with a strong cross-court kill for her team's 22nd point, then Casey Hinger converted a slide for the 23-23 equalizer. UC Davis refused to extend the match any further: Damelio's tool converted a side out and provided the Aggies with a 24-23 match point, then Brain crushed a four set for the winner.
Saturday's win marks the 10th time the Aggies have swept an opponent in three sets during the 2011 season. UC Davis continues to earn votes in the AVCA Top 25 poll.
The Aggies return to action at Long Beach State on Friday in the first of three straight road trips.
