Sept. 10, 2013

Final Stats

DAVIS, Calif. - Junior outside hitter Valerie Brain tied her career high of 15 kills while three other Aggies posted double-figure offense, helping UC Davis claim a dominating 25-12, 25-17, 25-22 sweep of Sacramento State in collegiate women's volleyball action at the Pavilion Tuesday night.

The Aggies improve to 4-4 for the season and take the 10 points toward the multisport Causeway Cup presented by ScholarShare.

Brain committed just four errors on a team-leading 36 swings for a .306 average. Junior middle blocker Victoria Lee hit 10 kills on 13 attempts for a .692 success rate, senior Devon Damelio had 13 kills and hit .370, and sophomore Kaylin Squyres recorded 11 kills with 10 digs and a .296 average.

"The thing that stood out to me in this match is how much firepower we have when we're in system," said Aggie head coach Jamie Holmes. "Watching our outsides have an open net and manage the ball well was impressive. I thought their shot selection from the back row - they hit the corners, area one and area five - that was impressive. And certainly our middle blocking department and our opposite department had a great night as well."

Junior Megan Lancaster led all players with 13 digs. The Aggies outdug their guests by a 56-42 margin. As a team, UC Davis finished with a .373 attacking average behind senior setter Jenny Woolway, who finished with 36 assists.

"Obviously, I can't do anything without the passers, so that helps a lot," said Woolway. "The passing was there and that really allowed for me to distribute the ball a little bit more evenly. I tried to mix it up a little bit and play with the other side's block, which is always fun for me. And it helps when the hitters are going off like that, so it was really cool to see them getting a lot of kills."

UC Davis never trailed in the opening set, committing only two errors (.457) and converting 76 percent of its side-out opportunities. The Aggies launched on a 9-3 start, with all three Hornet points coming from UC Davis net violations. Squyres hit 5-for-8 in the first set, including two in an 8-2 run that boosted the Aggies to a 20-9 advantage. She scored the final two points to set UC Davis to a 1-0 match lead.'

Squyres and Brain each totaled five kills in the second set, as UC Davis held on to a 14-5 start. The Hornets later scored five straight, helped by a kill and a block by senior Kayla Beal, to pull within a 15-14 deficit. But Kendall Frisoli served up five straight points, getting two kills from Damelio, as the Aggies jumped back to a 20-14 edge. Sac State could not close by less than six the rest of the way, and UC Davis went to the break with a 2-0 advantage.

Unlike the first two sets, the third frame went largely in Sacramento State's favor early on. Sloan Lovett served up two aces in a 5-0 run that put the Hornets out to a 10-5 lead. UC Davis whittled away at the margin, finally equalizing at 20-20 on Brain's tool near the left antenna. Brain struck again on the next point when her off-balance roll shot slipped over the tape and fell into the open Hornet short court. Squyres helped seal the sweep, scoring an ace and a kill down the final stretch.

Tuesday's win marks the first Aggie sweep of the Hornets since November 13, 1992, when the two teams squared off in what was then a rare match at Recreation Hall (now Pavilion).

UC Davis returns to action at the UP/OSU Challenge, starting with Friday's match at host Portland.