Oct. 12, 2013
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis dominated the early part of the first set and held a 24-22 set point in the second, but ultimately could not fend off a scrappy Long Beach State, falling by scores of 18-25, 26-24, 25-23 and 25-19 in Big West Conference women's volleyball action at the Pavilion Saturday night.
The Aggies fall to 10-8 overall and 2-3 in conference matches. The 49ers even their record to 9-9 and improve to 2-3 in Big West play.
Senior opposite Devon Damelio led UC Davis overall, scoring 15 kills with a .333 hitting average while providing 20 digs and five blocks on defense. Senior setter Jenny Woolway matched Damelio's digs total while providing 46 assists and two aces. Junior middle blocker Katie Quinn chipped in 10 kills and five blocks.
For Long Beach State, junior middle Chisom Okpala provided 15 kills against just four errors while Haleigh Hampton led all players with nine blocks. Junior libero Tyler Jackson and senior outside hitter Delainey Aigner-Swesey posted digs totals of 28 and 25, respectively.
UC Davis jumped out to a strong start, generally serving Long Beach State out of system in the early going. Woolway had two aces and a successful dump shot to highlight a 6-1 surge that established a 16-6 lead for the Aggies. The 49ers later responded with four straight points to cut a 21-11 deficit to a 21-15 gap, but key kills from Quinn and Kaylin Squyres kept Long Beach State from close any further. Okpala was a bright spot for an LBSU offense that otherwise struggled to a .075 average in the first.
Long Beach State sniped the second set from UC Davis, scoring four unanswered to erase a 24-22 set point and take a 26-24 victory. Damelio tallied three kills early to help the Aggies craft a 12-6 lead. The 49ers eventually fought back with four unanswered to bring the deficit to 14-13, then later scored three straight kills to tie the frame at 19-19. UC Davis responded with a 3-0 run to move ahead by 22-19. A Valerie Brain crosscourt kill later gave the Aggies a 24-22 set point, but Hampton teamed up with setter Erin Juley on a block to end the run. Juley went to the line for back-to-back aces, including one that hit the tape before rolling over into the UC Davis side of the court. Mackie then finished the comeback with a solo stuff against the stunned Aggie offense.
The 49ers also pulled away early in the third set, scoring an 8-3 run to forge a 14-8 lead. Quinn caught fire with three kills and a block assist while senior Lindsay Dowd served up an ace, helping the Aggies battle all the way back to a one-point, 17-16 deficit. UC Davis approached to a single-point margin on five more occasions but could not equalize. Okpala finally put down the winner after the Aggies failed to capitalize on a free-ball chance, and Long Beach went to the fourth with a 2-1 match lead.
Both teams fought to four ties in the fourth set. UC Davis scored four straight to erase an 11-7 49er lead to knot the score at 11-11, and Kendall Walbrecht came off the bench for a kill to even the tally at 15-15. Then Okpala and sophomore Alex Reid exploded offensively with two kills in a run of six unanswered, setting the board at 21-15. The Aggies never challenged again, and LBSU completed their comeback win behind two more Reid kills down the stretch.
UC Davis finished with more kills (56-51) and matched Long Beach State's total of six aces, but the 49ers held a substantial edge in digs (91-81) and blocks (15-10).
The Aggies return to action for the annual Central California road trip at Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 18 and 19.
