Box Score IRVINE, Calif. — UC Davis sophomore
Leonie Strehl finished with a match-high 18 kills and hit .325 on the night, while senior
Lauren Matias added 17 more to go with 15 digs, helping the Aggies sweep their trip to Orange County, posting a 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 25-22, 25-14) victory over UC Irvine on Saturday night at the Bren Events Center.
The Aggies won for the fourth time in their last five contests, improving to 16-12 overall and 8-7 in Big West Conference play. The 16 wins matches the team's win total in each of the last two years, as does the eight league triumphs.
Led by 13 kills and a .522 hitting percentage by Makayla Wolfe, who led a group of four Anteaters with double-digit kills, UC Irvine fell to 5-21 overall and 2-12 in conference play.
Strehl tied her career high with those 18 kills, matching her total against UC Riverside back on Oct. 11, 2018, posting her seventh double-digit kill performance of the year and her first since she had 11 at Hawai'i back on Oct. 20.
Meanwhile, with her 17 kills on the night, Matias moved into 10th place on the school's all-time list with 1,027 for her career, passing
Emily Allen (1,014) and putting her just 22 behind Heidi Knapp (1988-91) for ninth in school history. She also finished with her team-best 11th double-double of the year — falling just two shy of her season high of 17 against Wyoming on Sept. 14.
Sophomore
Josephine Ough and Matias shared the team lead with four blocks, while freshman
Shira Lahav finished with 19 digs — her sixth consecutive double-digit performance in that category. Sophomore setter
Jane Seslar ended the night with 45 assists — her highest total since posting 52 at Hawai'i on Oct. 20.
The Aggies close out the year on the road, returning to Southern California to take on UC Riverside in the season finale on Saturday (Nov. 23) at 7 p.m.
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.
