DAVIS, Calif. -- Senior outside hitter Emily Allen totaled 18 kills while fellow senior left-sider Brianna Karsseboom recorded a career-high 20 digs to lead UC Davis to a four-set, 21-25, 25-14, 25-18, 28-26 victory over CSUN in Big West Conference women's volleyball action at the Pavilion Saturday night.

The Aggies, winners of five straight, improve to 14-9 for the year and 6-5 in conference matches. The Matadors slip to 6-17 overall and 2-10 in Big West play.

Allen and Karsseboom were among five UC Davis players with double-figure digs, along with libero Malia Bolko (16) and setters Jane Seslar (11) and Paloma Bowman (10). Freshman Josie Ough led the Aggie net defense with six blocks to go with her six kills, while senior Nicola Moore added four stuffs and nine kills.

Overall, UC Davis outdug CSUN by a 83-63 margin, holding its visitors to a .172 hitting average in the process, including .131 during its second- through fourth-set victories.

Saturday's match ends a five-match homestand for the Aggies, who return to action for continued Big West play at Cal State Fullerton (Friday) and UC Riverside (Saturday).

MATCH NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS

• Other than a 2-1 start, UC Davis never led throughout the first set but managed to close the gap to a single-point deficit on four different occasions.

• The Aggies hit .306 and .412 in the second and third sets, respectively... Redshirt freshman Leonie Strehl and senior Lauren Jackson each hit 3-for-5 without an error in the second, then Allen led the offense with 5-0-10 attacking in the third.

• The two teams engaged in 10 ties in the fourth frame, including 23-23 through 26-26... The Matadors overcame a 23-20 hole to lengthen the set, with Owens scoring kills to equalize at 25- and 26-all... Owens nearly scored a game-tying kill at 27-26, but her shot went into the tape for an attacking error and the winning point for the Aggies.

• Saturday's match marked Karsseboom's fourth double-double of 2018, and her third straight... Allen now has 32 career double-doubles, and continues her march toward her 1,000th in both career kills and career digs... She finished the weekend with 974 kills and 974 digs... Only nine players in program history have reached those milestones, and only three Aggies have achieved both.

• Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter served as the Aggies' honorary assistant coach for the match... A renowned professor in classics and comparative literature, Hexter has held the campus's No. 2 position since 2011, with a one-year stint as interim Chancellor in 2016-17.
 

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ABOUT UC DAVIS: Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.

AGGIE EVO: Established in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.