Sept. 18, 2015
FRESNO, Calif. -
Senior outside hitter
Kaylin Squyres combined for 34 kills and 38 digs while junior opposite
Kendall Walbrecht added 19 kills and 10 total blocks as UC Davis split its Friday slate at the Fresno State Classic women's volleyball tournament at the Save Mart Center. The Aggies swept Southern Utah by scores of 25-23, 25-22 and 25-18 in their first match, then fell in four to Portland, 25-18, 20-25, 25-13, 25-18.
UC Davis moves to 5-8 for the year. The Pilots improved to 10-1, while the Thunderbirds slipped to 8-3 after that match.
Squyres had 20 kills and 21 digs in the afternoon victory, then followed with 14 kills and 17 digs in the nightcap. Walbrecht provided seven kills and .375 hitting in the three-set matchup with SUU, then followed with seven block assists against UP.
Senior middle blocker Jillian Johnson also saw significant action in place of redshirt freshman Kelechi Ohiri. She totaled seven blocks in seven sets, while serving up an ace in each match. The setting tandem of Sophia Mar and Maddie Merlino had assist totals of 21 and 16 in each match, with Merlino chipping in 15 digs against the Pilots.
UC Davis hit .254 in the win over Southern Utah, marking a return to form after a season-low .067 during Tuesday's home opener with Sacramento State.
UC DAVIS 3, SOUTHERN UTAH 0
In the Aggies' early-afternoon match, Squyres "20-20" match led the three-set sweep of Southern Utah. Junior Allie Wegener also had a double-double of 11 kills and 10 digs while Walbrecht had seven kills on 16 swings for a .375 average.
Wegener burst from the gates with three kills in an 8-4 Aggie start before SUU battled back. Junior opposite Chennin Benson had two kills during a fun of five unanswered to deliver the Thunderbirds a 9-8 edge, but Wegener continued to put away shots in reclaiming a 13-11 advantage. Southern Utah made another comeback run to flip a 20-16 deficit into a 23-22 lead. However, Squyres' kill and a block by Johnson and freshman Nicola Moore restored the Aggie edge. Squyres had 11 digs in the opener while she and Wegener combined for nine kills.
Despite a similar score to the first, UC Davis took the second with little challenge. Squyres posted eight kills while Walbrecht hit 3-for-5 during a set that saw the Aggies ride out a 10-6 start. Walbrecht scored back-to-back kills to extend that margin to 19-12, although the T-Birds answered by claiming three of the next four in closing the gap to 20-16. Remo Gaogao later posted a block and a kill to bring SUU to within two points but Squyres ended that run with the set-winner, giving the Aggies a 2-0 lead into the break.
UC Davis dominated in the final set, posting 20 kills and 20 digs with a .395 hitting average, while holding the Thunderbirds to just seven kills and a .057 success rate. Squyres had eight kills and nine digs in the final frame while Aima Eichie added 4-for-5 attacking numbers. As she had in the second, Walbrecht posted consecutive kills to help the Aggies pull away from a close early battle. Johnson had two blocks in the set, the second of which extended the lead to 20-14. Squyres put down three kills down the final stretch to seal the sweep.
PORTLAND 3, UC DAVIS 1
The Aggies tallied 75 digs and eight team blocks but .159 hitting and a side-out conversion of just 47 percent allowed Portland to enjoy key scoring runs in the first, third and fourth sets. Emily Liger, one of the national leaders in kills last year, knocked down five of her 23 total kills in a 9-1 run that stretched the Pilots' 8-7 edge to a 17-8 lead in the opener. She ended up with the winner after UC Davis fought off three match points.
Moore helped the Aggies turn the tables in the second, scoring two kills in a 7-1 start. Johnson also served up an ace in that run while Squyres served back-to-back to extend the lead to 12-4. UC Davis led by as much as 22-12 after Walbrecht and freshman Lauren Jackson combined for a pair of blocks at the right pin. Liger then sparked a 5-0 run to close that gap but UC Davis' lead proved insurmountable. Wegener notched a block assist and a kill for the 24th and 25th points, sending the two teams into the break with a 1-1 match tie.
However, Portland returned from the locker room and seized the match momentum. Liger continued to pound away with five of her team's nine kills in the third, and six of the Pilots' 11 in the fourth. Walbrecht led UC Davis with two kills and two blocks in a 7-0 run that set the board at 8-5, only to have UP respond with six straight in taking an 11-8 lead. The teams battled to ties at 13, 14 and 15; and another Walbrecht kill brought the Aggies to within a 18-17 deficit. Then Liger and junior Makayla Lindburg sparked a 7-1 finish with two kills apiece, while Portland took advantage of three straight Aggie hitting errors to close the match.
Setters Mar and Merlino combined for 29 digs in the nightcap against Portland.
UC Davis wraps up tournament action against the host Bulldogs on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
