Sept. 13, 2011
Final Stats
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Junior outside hitter Allison Whitson tallied a career-high 21 kills while sophomore opposite Devon Damelio picked up a career-best 22 digs, helping UC Davis to a five-set, 25-21, 25-21, 19-25, 24-26, 15-12 victory over Sacramento State in the women's volleyball edition of the Causeway Classic rivalry at Colberg Court Tuesday night.
The Aggies, among the teams receiving votes in Monday's AVCA Top 25 poll, improve to 11-1 overall. The Hornets even their record at 5-5. Furthermore, UC Davis picked up 10 points toward the multi-sport Causeway Cup competition.
Damelio also added 15 kills against just four errors in 33 swings on the attack. Redshirt freshman Valerie Brain posted 15 kills while four Aggies provided double-digit digs: setter Jenny Woolway had 22, Damelio had 21, libero Caroline Mercado picked up 19 and junior defensive specialist Kaitlyn Plum added 17.
For Sacramento State, Kelsey Elston recorded 13 kills and hit .346 while Breanne Menees picked up a match-high 23 digs.
The Aggies claimed the first two sets by identical 25-21 scores but in different fashions. UC Davis crafted a 7-2 lead out of the gates, saw it diminish to a single point after four straight hitting errors pulled the Hornets to within an 8-7 deficit. Senior middle Katie Denny delivered a kill and a block assist to help UC Davis restore the margin to 15-11 but Sac State scord three straight to again drop the lead to a single tally. The Hornets also tied the affair at 17-17 but never took the lead. Senior middle blocker Betsy Sedlak scored a kill and teamed up with Damelio for a pair of blocks down the stretch, giving the Aggies the early match lead.
The second set proved less dramatic in the early going, with UC Davis capitalizing on seven Sac State hitting errors in taking a 15-6 lead. Whitson then tacked on three kills in the next five points, and Damelio later scored back-to-back kills to bring the score to 22-14. Hornet senior Kelsey Elston helped her team charge back to a four-point deficit with a block assist and a kill, but the Aggies never surrendered the lead. Brain tallied kills for UC Davis' 23rd and 24th points, then a Sac State serve sailed long for the winner.
The Hornets came out stronger after the break, erasing an early 3-1 hole to steadily compile a 18-12 lead. Whitson, Sedlak and Damelio scored in succession to bring UC Davis to within four at 19-15, but Menees' ace sparked a 4-0 Hornet run. Damelio and Whitson each had two kills to again cut into the Sac State lead until a net violation granted the Hornets their 25th point.
The fourth set proved to be the most dramatic. Denny had a service ace and a kill as part of a 6-2 start for UC Davis, and two Hornet hitting errors put the score at 10-5. Sac State junior Janelle Currey slammed three straight kills to knot the score at 11-11, the first of eight ties in the frame. After Elston and Anna Schoener combined for a block at 20-all, both teams alternated points to 24-24. Whitson and Hornet veteran Eryn Kirby each had two kills during that clash, but Sac State enjoyed the final shots: Kirby's kill put her at the service line with a 25-24 set point. She served the ball short into the Aggie court for an ace, tying the match and forcing the fifth.
UC Davis never trailed in the fifth after two kills by Brain established a 7-4 lead. However, the final set was hardly locked up: Currey and Kayla Beal scored kills to help the Hornets tie things at 7-7. The Aggies and Hornets locked up at 8-8 and 10-10 but the hosts never could pull ahead. UC Davis scored five of the last seven points, with Damelio delivering two cross-court kills in the final stretch.
Tuesday's matchup marked the third straight year the two teams had gone the full five sets. Furthermore, it marked the Aggies' first win on Hornet turf since 1992.
UC Davis returns to action for the Aggie Invitational, starting with the home opener against Hofstra on Friday night.
