DAVIS, Calif. - Freshman Lauren Matias posted a team-high 17 kills while sophomore outside hitter Emily Allen recorded a double-double of 15 kills and 15 digs, but UC Davis could not contain CSUN's attackers, falling in five sets by scores of 16-25, 25-18, 25-19, 18-25, 15-13 in Big West Conference women's volleyball action at the Pavilion Saturday night.

The Aggies move to 7-8 for the year and remain winless in league play at 0-2. The Matadors improve to 6-8 overall and pick up their second Big West win at 2-0.

Sophomore outside hitter Brianna Karsseboom added another 14 kills while the middle blocking pair of Kelechi Ohiri and Aima Eichie finished with identical attacking lines of 9-3-18 for .333 averages. Sophomore defensive specialist Malia Bolko led all players with five service aces.
CSUN was led by its left-side platoon of Aeryn Owens and Julie Haake. Owens pounded out 24 kills with just four errors en route to a .357 average, while Haake hit 15-2-37 for a .351 success rate. Freshman Melissa Eaglin chipped in a perfect 8-for-10 offensively, helping the Matadors compile a team average of .312.

"It's the willingness to go for it and get after it, as opposed to being tentative and scared to make a play," said Aggie head coach Dan Conners. "When we're tentative, it doesn't work out. When we're aggressive and attacking, we make plays. Sometimes we make errors doing it, but I'd rather make aggressive errors than give them easy balls. We dug a hole in the fifth and turned it around, but it was too late. You can't let teams get big leads like that and expect to come back."

UC Davis outdueled CSUN in an offensive slugfest in the first set. Matias tallied seven kills to help UC Davis hit .483 in the frame. Ohiri had two kills and a block during a 7-1 run that pulled the Aggies from a 10-9 deficit to a 16-11 lead. The Matadors hit well in the opener, with Owens and Haake combining for 7-for-15 hitting.

CSUN's solid hitting continued through the second and third sets while UC Davis' firepower simmered to averages of .143 and .111. Owens put down four kills in an 11-6 start to the second frame, then Morgan Salone provided a kill and block assist in a 4-0 run that extended the Matador lead to 15-8. The Aggies made a 5-1 charge after trailing 23-13, with Eichie scoring two kills and Matias posting a solo stuff near her left pin. However, UC Davis could not fully erase that deficit, and a service error finished the second to tie the match at 1-1.

The Aggie serving game kicked into high gear in the third, with Bolko and senior setter Sophia Mar each tallying back-to-back aces to bring a 9-6 deficit to a 12-12 tie. Eichie scored consecutive kills and Allen served up yet another ace to equalize the set at 16-16 yet again. Once again, it was Owens who sparked the Matadors: two kills and a block assist in a 7-1 finish to the set.

UC Davis found its stride in the fourth, with Allen and Karsseboom each hammering five of the team's 17 total kills. Karsseboom's ace sparked a run of four unanswered to erase a 4-1 Matador start, then the Allen-Karseebooom sophomore tandem totaled five kills in a 9-2 stretch that pushed the Aggie lead to 17-9. UC Davis held at least a six-point advantage the rest of the way, forcing the rubber set.

The .325 hitting that propelled UC Davis to its fourth-set win improved to a .364 clip in the fifth, but the Matadors took an 8-3 start and held the lead the rest of the way. The Aggies closed the gap late in the frame as Allen hit 6-1-9. Ohiri and sophomore Lauren Jackson teamed up for a block to hold off a double-match point, setting the board at 14-13. However, Haake provided the final blow with her kill, completing the five-set marathon.

Saturday's match marked the sixth time in the last eight meetings that UC Davis and CSUN went the full five sets.
The Aggies begin a run of four straight road conference matches at UC Irvine on October 1.