DAVIS, Calif. - Senior opposite Kendall Walbrecht posted 11 kills while outside hitters Lauren Matias and Emily Allen each recorded double-doubles, but UC Davis could not protect its 2-0 match lead in falling in a five-set, 15-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-23, 15-6 loss to UC Santa Barbara in Big West Conference women's volleyball action at the Pavilion Thursday night.

The Aggies even their overall record to 12-12 and slip to 5-6 in league play. The Gauchos improve to 15-9 for the season and 6-5 in Big West matches.

Allen and Matias each notched 10 kills with 11 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Kelechi Ohiri added nine kills, a .300 average and a match-high five blocks for UC Davis. Senior middle blocker Aima Eichie chipped in another eight kills and three stuffs. Sophomore libero Malia Bolkot tallied a match-best 16 digs.

For UCSB, freshman Chloe Allen, sister of UC Davis' Emily, surpassed her entire previous career kills total with 19 on 33 swings for a .394 success rate. Senior Elizabeth Sheffield totaled 14 kills with just one error for a .481 clip, while freshman outside hitter Lindsey Ruddins overcame a slow start to finish with 16 kills and 10 digs. Sophomore Emilia Petrachi led the Gauchos with 13 digs, switching from libero to defensive specialist midway through the match.

UC Davis never trailed in the first set, hitting seven kills in its first 12 swings to craft a 10-5 lead. Matias forced a free ball and an ace from the service line to extend that margin to 12-5, then four straight UCSB hitting errors later pushed the Aggie lead to 21-10. Overall, the Gauchos suffered from 10 attacking miscues en route to a .029 average, while UC Davis managed a .400 clip. Matias led offensively with four kills in the opener.

UC Santa Barbara managed to claim its first lead of the match when an Sheffield solo block made it 6-5. The Gauchos extended their lead to 8-6 before the Aggies rattled off four straight in reclaiming the advantage at 10-8. Ohiri had two blocks and a kill during the next stretch to extend the margin to 18-13, then UC Davis managed to hold steady with a four- or five-point lead the rest of the way. The Aggies went to the break with a 2-0 match lead, but UCSB managed to clean up its offense to just four attack errors.

A run of eight straight Gaucho points early in the third set proved to be the turning point of the entire match. Mostly in support of Ruddins' serving, UCSB flipped a slight 9-8 deficit into a commanding 16-9 lead. Ruddins served up three aces in that run while Sheffield added two kills and a block assist. The Aggies later rallied to within four points but never filled that hole. Sheffield had six kills while Chloe Allen added another four in the pivotal third.

Chloe Allen and Ruddins continued to fire into the fourth, each tallying three kills to boost the Gauchos to a 10-5 start. Matias sparked the Aggies with three kills in a comeback to 12-12, and UC Davis tied the frame at 13-13 and 14-14 but coulud not regain the lead. UCSB climbed to a 20-17 edge before Walbrecht posted a kill and an ace to equalize at 20-20. The two teams traded points to tie the set two more times. However, Chloe Allen knocked down a stray free ball for set point, then hit the winner two points later to force a fifth set.

The Aggies took a brief 2-0 lead in the final frame although partially on Gaucho errors. A Ruddins kill and an Allen/Phoebe Grunt block put UCSB on top by a 4-2 margin, and the Gauchos led for the remainder. UC Davis struggled to five attack errors against just three kills while UCSB hit 8-1-13 for a .538 average in the finale.

UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara entered the match in a three-way tie with UC Irvine for fourth place in the Big West standings. The Anteaters lost to Cal Poly on Thursday night, moving them into a tie for fifth with the Aggies. The Mustangs, who visit the Pavilion for UC Davis' next home match, remains in third place at 7-4. The Gauchos now hold sole possession of fourth place in the race.

Saturday's UC Davis-Cal Poly match begins at 7 p.m. Fans who attend that afternoon's home football game may redeem their ticket stubs for the volleyball match.