Sept. 2, 2011
Final Stats
TULSA, Okla. - Junior outside hitter Allison Whitson combined for 19 kills while sophomore Devon Damelio totaled 17, helping UC Davis post a pair of three-set sweeps at the Park Inn Hurricane Invitational women's volleyball tournament at Tulsa's Reynolds Center Friday. The Aggies beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff by scores of 25-14, 25-14, 25-14 in the morning, then retired UT-Arlington by a final of 25-19, 25-10, 25-23 in the first-day nightcap.
UC Davis improves to 5-0 for the year, marking its best start since opening with six straight wins in 1999.
Whitson had nine kills and 11 digs against UAPB to start the day. No player on either team had double-figured kills, with the Lions committing 25 hitting errors and 16 service errors to help the Aggie cause. Junior libero Caroline Mercado paced UC Davis defensively with 13 digs.
Damelio hit 12 kills against just three errors en route to a .333 average, while Whitson posted 10-2-27 offense for a .296 clip. As a team, UC Davis hit .301, well ahead of the Mavericks' .127. Other contributors in Friday's late match included senior middle Katie Denny, who recorded nine kills, a .500 average and four block assists. Mercado led all players with 17 digs on floor defense.
Also notable in Friday's action was the center of the offense: head coach Jamie Holmes started each setter during the day. Sophomore Lindsay Dowd, who redshirted the entire 2010 season due to injury, responded with 19 assists against UAPB. Jenny Woolway provided 32 assists and two aces versus UTA.
UC Davis never trailed against Pine Bluff, running out to leads of 15-6 and 15-7 in the first and third sets, respectively. Similarly, the Aggies came out strong against Arlington in the first set, with Damelio scoring two kills and a block in a 7-1 start, then Denny tallying two kills in a 4-0 run to 12-5. Damelio later posted three straight kills to stretch the UC Davis advantage to 17-9.
Whitson and Damelio each knocked down two kills during a 7-0 stretch midway in the second frame, pushing the Aggies to a commanding 19-6 lead. UC Davis hit 16 errorless kills in 22 swings for a scorching .727 hitting average.
However, the Aggies had to come back from an early 8-3 deficit to claim a third-set victory. Denny had two kills and a block in a span of four points to cut the gap to 8-7, then the two teams battled to five ties. With the score locked at 16-16, Whitson scored a kill in support of Kaitlyn Plum's serving, then teamed up on consecutive blocks to give UC Davis its first lead at 19-16.
The Mavs answered with three straight in tying the frame at 19-19, but a Denny kill and two UTA miscues put the Aggies back to a 22-20 edge. UC Davis never surrendered the lead after that point. Damelio and freshman Katie Quinn posted kills to maintain a two-point edge, then Damelio and Denny teamed up for a block for the match-winner.
The Aggies' .301 (.3008) hitting average against UTA represents a season high, beating the .301 (.3009) achieved against Colorado in the season opener.
UC Davis continues tournament play against North Dakota State and host Tulsa in Saturday's action.
