DAVIS, Calif. -- Senior outside hitter
Emily Allen totaled a team-leading 24 kills, junior outside hitter
Lauren Matias added 22 kills and a .514 average, while senior libero
Malia Bolko amassed 36 digs to lead UC Davis to a pair of wins in Saturday's portion of the Aggie Invitational women's volleyball tournament at the Pavilion. The Aggies, now 3-0 for the season, swept Holy Cross by scores of 25-9, 25-15, 25-17; then defeated Nevada in straight sets, 25-17, 25-16, 25-16.
UC Davis enters Sunday's finale against Northern Arizona as the only unbeaten team in the tournament. The two teams square off at 2 p.m.
"I think the team is really playing together," said head coach
Dan Conners. "Our offense is very balanced and our defense has been very solid, which is great. I like the way we're playing, and there are still a lot of things we can do to get better. We have another tough match against Northern Arizona, and I'm just looking to see how we can grow again tomorrow."
The Aggies hit .358 while allowing just .123 against in their two Saturday victories. Bolko also moved ahead of both Mary McClelland (2001-04) and Kayla Varney (2007-10) for the No. 2 spot in the program's career digs leaderboard. Her 36 in the two Saturday matches, combined with the 13 on Friday night, brings her career total to 1,463 -- one ahead of Varney. Avreeta Singh (2006-09) holds the school benchmark of 1,831.
UC DAVIS 3, HOLY CROSS 0 - NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS
• All five active UC Davis seniors made key contributions to the match: Bolko led all players with 21 digs, Allen and
Brianna Karsseboom each hit 12 kills,
Lauren Jackson added seven blocks with a match-high six blocks, and setter
Maddie Merlino helped the Aggies hit .354 as a team.
• Bolko's 19th dig moved her ahead of Mary McClelland for third on the school's all-time career leaderboard. McClelland, the first libero in school history, had 1,446 during her career from 2001-04.
• Three more Aggies made their collegiate debuts in the Saturday afternoon matchup: redshirt freshman
Leonie Strehl and true freshman
Rose Holscher entered the match in the second set, while redshirt freshman
Chelsea Maeglin came in the third. Strehl notched 5-0-10 hitting with three block assists to lead that trio.
• Sophomore libero Sophie VanSeveren led the Crusaders with 17 digs while middle blocker Clare Honan paced Cross offensively with eight kills against just one hitting error.
• UC Davis enjoyed a 17-2 run from the first set into the early second. Junior
Lauren Matias and senior
Lauren Jackson teamed up on three blocks during a 10-0 run that extended a 13-7 lead into the 25-9 win in the opener. Then
Brianna Karsseboom put down three straight kills in the Aggies' 5-0 start to the second frame.
UC DAVIS 3, NEVADA 0 - NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS
• UC Davis never trailed in the entire match, leading wire to wire in the second set then allowing just one tie in the third.
• Matias hit 13-1-16 for a .750 hitting average, the highest by any Aggie besides Kaersten Hill's school-record .813 (14-1-16) against Humboldt State back on October 10, 1996. As a team, UC Davis hit .363, marking the first time in the program's Division I era that the team has hit .300 or better in three straight matches.
• Sophomore
Alexa Rockas (9-2-19, .368) and freshman
Josie Ough (6-0-11, .545) contributed to the Aggies' high efficiency rate in the middle
• Bolko's 15th and final dig in Saturday's nightcap brought her ahead of Varney for second place in the school career digs list.
• This is the fifth time UC Davis has swept Nevada in three sets, along with 2013 (in Reno), 2010 (in Davis), 1984 (Davis) and 1981 (neutral).
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. 6-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.
