SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Senior outside hitter Emily Allen posted 29 kills and a career-high 29 digs while hitting .397 in front of her hometown crowd, helping UC Davis recover from a 2-0 match deficit and a 19-11 hole in the third set to complete a five-set, 19-25, 23-25, 29-27, 25-19, 15-9 comeback win over UC Santa Barbara in Big West Conference women's volleyball action at the Thunderdome Saturday night.
The Aggies pick up their first league win, improving to 9-7 overall and 1-3 in Big West play. The Gauchos slip to 11-6 for the year and 3-2 in conference.
Allen's offensive total barely misses her career high of 30 kills, set against Southern Utah back in September of 2016. However, she shattered her previous best of 22 digs, while her .397 efficiency rate represents a season best. Junior outside hitter Lauren Matias added 16 kills and a .378 average, while freshman middle blocker Josie Ough notched career highs of 10 kills and seven blocks. Senior libero Malia Bolko had 23 digs and a pair of aces.
For UCSB, junior outside hitter Lindsey Ruddins tallied 26 kills with junior middle Charlie Robinson adding 22 kills on just two errors for a .526 hitting percentage. Libero Emilia Petrachi and outside hitter Torre Glasker recorded 27 and 22 digs, respectively.
UC Davis returns to the road for a pair of ESPN3-televised matches at CSUN (Friday) and Long Beach State (Saturday).
MATCHÂ NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS
• Saturday's match is Allen's first with both 20 kills and 20 digs... It is also her fourth match of 2018 with at least 20 kills... Allen is an alumna of Santa Barbara's San Marcos High School, which is located just five miles from the Thunderdome.
• Robinson sparked strong UCSB finishes in each of the first two sets... She scored three kills in a 5-1 run to close out the first set, then had two kills in the final three Gaucho points to erase UC Davis' late 22-21 lead in the second.
• UC Davis faced deficits of 19-11 and 23-18 in the third, putting UCSB within two points of a match sweep... Matias had three kills with Allen adding two in a 6-0 run to flip the score to a 24-23 Aggie set point... The two teams battled to four straight ties until 27-27 before Leonie Strehl's tool gave UC Davis a fifth set point, then Ough finished the frame with a solo stuff.
• The Aggies hit 17-1-43 (.372) in the fourth... Allen had seven of those 17 kills, including each of the final three points... Karsseboom (4-for-9), Strehl (3-for-5), Matias (2-for-7) and Ough (1-for-6) had the remaining kills with no errors among them.
• Sophomore Paloma Bowman led UC Davis' three-person setting crew with 35 assists... Freshman Jane Seslar had 16 while senior Maddie Merlino added 13... Bowman converted 50 percent of her sets to assists, compared to Merlino (37.1 percent), Seslar (29.1 percent) and UCSB's Olivia Lovenberg (.363).
• Allen continued to hit well into the deciding set, putting down three of her four kills in a 6-3 Aggie start... Ough had a kill then teamed up with Matias for a block, then Bowman served up an ace to give UC Davis a 14-8 match point.
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.
