Sept. 17, 2011
UC Davis 3, Seattle 1 | UC Davis 3, Air Force 0
DAVIS, Calif. - Junior outside hitter Allison Whitson collected 45 total kills in three matches to earn Most Valuable Player honors at the Aggie Invitational women's volleyball tournament at the Pavilion Saturday. She posted 12 kills in a three-set sweep of Air Force in the morning match then added 17 more in a four-set victory over Seattle in Saturday's nightcap.
The Aggies, among the teams receiving votes in Monday's national Top 25, improves to 14-1. The record surpasses the 1993 squad's 12-1 mark for the best start in program history.
Senior middle blockers Katie Denny and Betsy Sedlak also joined Whitson on the all-tournament team. Denny provided 15 kills and .429 hitting in the victory over the Redhawks, while Sedlak matched Whitson's total of 12 kills in the morning win over the Falcons. Junior libero Caroline Mercado amassed 34 digs on the day -- 18 against Air Force, 16 against Seattle.
Sophomore Devon Damelio took only six swings at the net but served up five aces and figured on eight of the Aggies' 24 blocks versus the Redhawks.
UC Davis enjoyed a healthy start to the first set against SU, mostly behind the strengths of its two senior middle blockers. Sedlak teamed with Damelio on five block assists in the span of six points then Denny delivered three kills in a 4-0 Aggie run to build a 12-7 lead. But Redhawk senor Cristin Richards scored back-to-back kills to cut that margin to just 12-11, then two kills and a block by Karina Miastowska helped reverse fortunes to 18-16 in favor of Seattle. Freshman Katie Quinn fired off three kills in a five-point span to restore the Aggie lead at 21-20, only to have Richards post a block assist and a kill to put SU back on top, 22-21. However, UC Davis scored three of the last four: Denny and Quinn each scored kills while combining for a block for the set's 24th point. Quinn finished the first set with six kills on 11 swings.
Despite a 7-5 Aggie start, the second set largely belonged to Seattle. The Redhawks scored four straight to take a 9-7 lead, then a Richards kill later extended the margin to 18-14. Redshirt freshman Valerie Brain ended the run with consecutive kills, including an unusual back-handed roll shot to salvage a wide set. Seattle responded with three of the next four to a 21-17 lead, then after UC Davis again closed the gap to a single tick, finished the set on a 4-1 run. Miastkowski had two kills and Jordan Keller posted ace in the final flourish, sending the match to the break in a 1-1 tie.
The Aggies restored order in the third set, establishing a 6-2 lead behind Denny's kill and block. UC Davis later scored five straight to break an 11-11 tie to a 16-11 edge. Denny had two more kills in that stretch while a great dig by Mercado set up a Brain point at 15-11. Seattle's Kaytlyn Dill sparked four straight Redhawk points back to 16-15, but UC Davis never relinquished the lead. A net violation and Denny's tip of an errant free ball ignited a 9-2 finish for the Aggies.
UC Davis finished with a strong showing in the fourth set, amassing a 14-4 lead despite only three kills. Damelio teamed up for a pair of blocks then served up four aces in a five-point span to account for the Aggie scoring. Whitson later hit back-to-back kills in a 4-0 run that set the score to 19-7. After a Denny kill put UC Davis in 24-12 match-point footing, Seattle prolonged the outcome with five straight points behind the serving of Sarah Jaeckel. The Aggies finally settled down with a kill by Denny, her 15th of the match.
Seattle hit .333 in its second-set win but struggled to sub-.200 offense in the other three sets. Richards had 17 kills on 40 swings while three Redhawks each tallied five blocks.
In Saturday's early action, Sedlak and Whitson each scored 12 kills as UC Davis dispatched Air Force by scores of 25-15, 25-20, 25-14. The Aggies powered their way to .400 hitting in the opening set, riding a 5-0 run to a 16-8 lead. Whitson had five kills in that set while sophomore setter Jenny Woolway hit 3-for-3 and provided five digs in her only action against the Falcons.
In the second set, Sedlak scored three kills and a block assist during a string of seven unanswered UC Davis points that turned an 11-9 battle to an 18-9 cushion. Air Force managed to reduce the deficit to 20-16 later in the frame, but the Aggies scored four of the next five to establish 24-17 set point.
UC Davis led wire-to-wire in the third. Sedlak had three kills in an 8-3 Aggie start, Denny posted two more during a 4-0 run to 15-7 then served back-to-back aces to put the tally at 18-9.
Head coach Jamie Holmes also reached into her reserves during the match. Setter Lindsay Dowd provided 24 assists in relief of Woolway, while adding 3-for-3 on offense. Redshirt freshman Victoria Lee was also a perfect 3-for-3 on the attack. Quinn stepped in during the third set and contributed two kills and a block.
Besides the Aggie veteran trio, Richards, Hofstra's Kelsie Wills and Kylee Maneja, and Air Force's Ayesha Hein each made the all-tournament squad.
UC Davis begins Big West Conference play on Wednesday at Pacific.
