Box Score Sept. 12, 2014 Final Stats
SEATTLE - Junior outside hitter
Kaylin Squyres posted 13 kills while senior libero
Megan Lancaster and sophomore outside hitter
Allie Wegener each notched a match-high 12 digs, but UC Davis ultimately fell to No. 5 Washington in a three-set, 25-15, 25-14, 25-18 sweep in the opening match of the Washington/Seattle women's volleyball tournament in front of 1,037 at Alaska Airlines Arena Friday afternoon.
The Aggies slip to 2-5 for the year. The Huskies remain unbeaten at 8-0.
Squyres was the lone UC Davis player with double-digit attacking stats. Wegener and senior Katie Quinn each delivered a pair of service aces while Wegener teamed up with redshirt freshman Aima Eichie for the only Aggie block.
In contrast, UW hit a torrid .412 overall, committing just four attacking errors with 39 kills. Senior Krista Vansant led the way with nine kills while Lianna Sybeldon contributed another eight. More notable was Sybeldon's eight blocks, contributing in 14.0 total by the Huskies.
Despite spotting its guests a 2-0 start, UW took control of the opening set fairly quickly. Sybeldon had a kill and two block assists in a 9-2 run that stretched a 4-4 tie into a 13-6 Husky edge. Setter Katy Beals served up back-to-back aces amidst a 6-1 stretch to further pull ahead to a 20-10 lead.
Oddly, UC Davis gave its best run in the second set, the wider final score notwithstanding. Squyres posted five kills in the Aggies' first six points in a 6-3 start. Quinn's service ace made it 8-5 and a UW serving error granted UC Davis a 10-9 lead. However, the Huskies regrouped in the form of an 11-2 run that effectively reclaimed the set. Vansant and Kaleigh Nelson each scored two kills during that outburst, then Vansant and Sybeldon combined on consecutive blocks for the final two points in sending UW to the break with a 2-0 match lead.
Like in the second set, the Aggies hung on early in the third largely due to untimely Washington service errors. Sybeldon struck two kills to help the Huskies score five unanswered to turn a 12-11 margin into a 17-11 lead. UC Davis battled back to within a four-point deficit thanks to key kills from sophomore Kendall Walbrecht, the second of which made it 20-16. But UW converted the next side out with a Vansant kill and protected at least a five-point advantage for the remainder of the match.
The Aggies improved steadily during the match, increasing their hitting average to .231 (9-3-26) with a 62 percent side-out conversion rate in the third set.
UC Davis takes on UNLV and Seattle in continued tournament action on Saturday. Both matches take place at the latter co-host's Connolly Center.
