LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Despite a season-best 14 kills and .429 average from senior outside hitter Brianna Karsseboom, UC Davis could not continue the momentum of its second-set victory, falling in four sets, 25-21, 18-25, 25-21, 25-19 against Long Beach State in ESPN3-televised Big West Conference women's volleyball action at the Walter Pyramid Saturday night.
The Aggies even their overall record to 9-9 and fall to 1-5 in conference matches. The 49ers improve to 11-8 for the year and 3-3 in Big West play.
Redshirt freshman opposite Leonie Strehl added 11 kills, while true freshman Josie Ough led the net defense with six blocks. Senior libero Malia Bolko and senior outside hitter Emily Allen led the floor defense with dig totals of 12 and 11, respectively.
For LBSU, the night belonged to senior Tyler Spriggs, who amassed career highs of 23 kills and 48 swings.
Saturday's match ends a string of four straight road matches for UC Davis. The Aggies return home to host UC Riverside on Thursday at 7 p.m., then host Cal State Fullerton for their annual Gary Colberg Tribute Match the following Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
MATCHÂ NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS
• Karsseboom's attacking stats are her best since hitting 15-2-27 (.481) in last year's November 2 home sweep of Cal State Fullerton... Her previous 2018 highs both came against Holy Cross at the season-opening Aggie Invitational: 12 kills and a .417 average... The managerial econ major from Alameda had her best line in the opening set, with an errorless 6-for-9 on the attack and seven digs on the floor.
• UC Davis held a 10-7 start to the first match, but hit into three blocks and surrendered seven of the next eight points to flip into a 14-11 hole... The Aggies cut the deficit to 21-20 on a block by Ough and Karsseboom but could not equalize.
• Allen had a block and a kill while junior DS Ally Reyes served up an ace in a 9-1 start to the second set... Ough and Strehl later teamed up for consecutive blocks in a 7-1 run that kept UC Davis up by an 18-10 margin, then seniors Karsseboom and Lauren Jackson combined on a block for the winner.
• UC Davis outkilled (14-10) and outhit (.286-.276) its host in the fourth set, despite never once holding the lead... However, the serving game loomed as crucial: the Aggies committed five service errors and surrendered four LBSU aces.
DON'T MISS OUT!: The ninth-annual UC Davis Athletics Brewfest takes place as part of the October 13 Homecoming football game against Idaho State... Tickets for the Brewfest plus the Aggies-Bengals game are now on sale at https://bit.ly/2ooveDI... The Brewfest celebrates UC Davis as the No. 1 academic brewing program in North America... The ticket package includes unlimited tastings at the UC Davis Brewfest, a commemorative tasting mug, and a ticket to the game.
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.
