DAVIS, Calif. — Sophomore
Mahalia White finished with a team-high 20 kills and hit .353 on the night, leading two other Aggies in double figures, as UC Davis hit a robust .474 in the fifth and deciding set to defeat visiting Long Beach State, 3-2, in Big West Conference play on Thursday night at The Pavilion.
The Aggies won for only the fourth time in the series with Long Beach State dating back to 2004, running their home record to 7-0 this season in the process and improving to 11-7 overall and 3-2 in league play. Coupled with their outing against Cal Poly last week, UC Davis has now played back-to-back five-set matches and have gone five four times overall this season, improving to 3-1 in those contests.
Led by a match-high 21 kills from Kashauna Williams, the Beach fell to 4-12 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
With neither team giving an inch, the Aggies opened up a lead midway through the decisive fifth set following a Long Beach State service error as back-to-back kills by senior
Lauren Matias put UC Davis ahead, 7-4, and forced a timeout. Matias stopped the bleeding with a kill after the Beach scored twice out of the break for an 8-6 lead at the changeover and the Aggies rebuilt the lead to 10-7 on a kill by sophomore
Josephine Ough.
Long Beach State would not go away, closing to within a single point at 11-10, 12-11, and, again, at 13-12, before UC Davis shut the door. A kill by sophomore setter
Jane Seslar forced a second Beach timeout at 14-12, and the Aggies came strong at the net, as
Jackie Graves and
Alexa Rockas closed down the attack on the right side, denying Avery Nelson to end the match.
A back-and-forth start saw Long Beach State pull away late for a 25-17 lead, but UC Davis would not be denied, rallying from an early deficit in a set that featured seven tie scores and three lead changes — the last coming on a kill by White for a 12-11 lead. The Aggies inched away from there, closing out a 25-22 win on another kill by White.
The third started much the same way, as UC Davis fell behind, 8-4, early, but scoring six of the next eight points to tie the match at 10-all. Another set that featured eight tie scores and a pair of lead changes saw the Aggies take the lead on a kill by sophomore
Leonie Strehl that broke a 14-14 tie and opened up a 4-0 burst that put them up 18-14.
Long Beach State rallied to tie the score at 21 later in the set, but a Matias kill swung the momentum back in UC Davis' favor as a kill by White and a block by Rockas and Strehl closed out the third in favor of the Aggies, 25-22.
In the fourth, Long Beach State raced out to a 4-1 lead and rarely looked back scoring five straight points after UC Davis had clawed back to within two, and cruised to a 25-18 victory to force the final set.
White reached the 20-kill plateau for the second time this season, falling just one shy of her season high of 21 set against Wyoming on Sept. 14. Matias added 17 kills and 11 digs to collect her 12th double-digit kill performance and her team-high seventh double-double of the season, while Strehl added 11 kills and three blocks.
Seslar logged 49 assists and added eight digs — the former representing her second-highest total of the season — while, defensively, freshman
Shira Lahav added 12 digs in the winning effort and Rockas led the Aggies at the net with four blocks.
UC Davis, which has now won 12 of its last 14 at home and is 15-4 at The Pavilion in the last two seasons combined, returns to the court on Sunday (Oct. 13) at 2 p.m., as the Aggies host CSUN.
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 Times Higher Education, and among the top 15 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
Launched 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.
MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE
Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 women's athletics programs. Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year. All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs. Visit https://give.ucdavis.edu/ATHG/324041 for more information.
