Sept. 21, 2011
Final Stats
STOCKTON, Calif. - Junior outside hitter Allison Whitson posted 14 kills and hit .522 while senior middle blockers Katie Denny and Betsy Sedlak combined for 16 kills to lead UC Davis to a 25-23, 25-23, 25-15 sweep of Pacific in Big West Conference women's volleyball action at Spanos Center Wednesday night.
The Aggies, among the teams receiving votes in Monday's AVCA Top 25, improve to 15-1 overall and open Big West play at 1-0. The Tigers slip to 9-5 for the year, 0-1 in conference matches.
Denny delivered nine kills with just one error in 13 swings while supplying six blocks on net defense. Sedlak hit 7-1-14 for the match. Sophomore setter Jenny Woolway posted 40 assists and 10 digs, while junior libero Caroline Mercado led all players with 13 digs.
For Pacific, senior outside hitter Samantha Misa had 16 kills on 40 attempts.
Both teams exchanged wild scoring swings in the first set. UC Davis committed four attack errors during a run of seven unanswered Pacific points to fall into a 15-10 hole, then immediately responded with eight straight to reclaim an 18-15 advantage. Denny scored three kills -- part of 4-for-5 hitting in the set -- and a block assist during that run. The Aggies led the rest of the way, taking a 24-20 set point when sophomore Devon Damelio fired a kill down the line. Pacific scored three straight to hold off its guest before Damelio struck again for the winner.
UC Davis opened the second frame with four unanswered, taking a 9-5 lead when Denny and Damelio teamed up for a block. However, the Tigers whittled away at the Aggie edge, tying the set at 10-10 and 14-14 before taking a 15-14 lead on Samantha Misa's tool. Whitson had two kills as UC Davis scored three of the next four, sending a two-point advantage its way. Again, Pacific fought back to a tie, this time at 22-all on Misa's 12th kill of the match. But Damelio and Brain popped two straight kills to establish triple set point, and Brain's tool finished the task. In all, the Aggies hit .400 in the second set, pounding 17 kills against just three errors.
In contrast to the two previous sets, UC Davis finished off the match with a dominating third-set victory, never allowing the Tigers the lead or even a tie. Pacific struggled with four attack errors and a service error to spot the Aggies a 9-4 lead. Then after Hannah Clancy and Gillian Howard combined on a block to trim that margin to 9-6, redshirt freshman Valerie Brain smacked down three kills in a span of six points to boost the score to 12-7. Sedlak scored a block and kill during a four-point run to 17-10, and the Tigers never approached closer than a six-point deficit. Mercado served an ace for the 23rd point, Denny tipped a stray Tiger set for the 24th, and Brain scored her 11th kill for the match-winner.
UC Davis won nearly every statistical matchup for the night, holding the edge in kills (49-39), hitting percentage (.286-.165), digs (46-40) and blocks (9.0-6.0).
The Aggies continue Big West action with a home match against UC Irvine on Saturday. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Pavilion.
