LONG BEACH, Calif. — For the second time this season, the UC Davis women's volleyball team and Big West Conference rival Long Beach State needed a fifth set to decide a winner and, for the second time this season, it was the Aggies who emerged victorious, rallying from down a set in the fourth to upend the Beach, 3-2 (25-23, 17-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-13), on Saturday night at the Walter Pyramid.
Playing in its seventh five-set contest of the year, UC Davis improved to 13-11 overall and 5-6 in Big West play, sweeping the regular season series from Long Beach State for the second time in the last three seasons, winning for the fifth time in the last six meetings with the Beach, and emerging victorious in Long Beach for only the second time in the history of the series.
Saturday night's triumph in front of an ESPN3 audience also marked the first true road victory for the Aggies this season in eight tries.
Long Beach State, meanwhile, fell to 8-15 overall and 5-6 in league play with the defeat, led by 22 kills from Kashauna Williams
Led by sophomore
Josephine Ough, who finished with 12 kills, hit .455 on the night, and tied a career high with 10 blocks (the latter matching her best set at Cal Poly on Oct. 5), the Aggies saved their best for last, hitting .364 (9-1-22) in the night's final set to seal the victory and snap a four-match losing streak.
The two teams went back and forth in the decisive set before UC Davis began to inch away. Back-to-back kills by sophomore
Mahalia White and an error by the Beach gave the Aggies a 12-9 advantage and, after another kill by White gave the ball back to UC Davis, freshman
Shira Lahav served up her fourth ace of the night, giving the Aggies match point at 14-10.
Long Beach State would not go away quietly as a kill by YiZhi Xue gave the ball back to the Beach and started a run of three straight points to make it a one-point game. UC Davis called timeout, but fans thought Long Beach State had tied the set on a ball hit long by sophomore
Leonie Strehl, but the officials ruled there had been a touch at the net, giving the point — and the match — to the Aggies.
After UC Davis took the opening set, 25-23, Long Beach State limited the Aggies' offense to a combined .085 hitting in the next two sets, putting the visitors' backs against the wall.
Answering the bell, UC Davis came up clutch in the fourth, scoring the first three points of the set for an early lead then using a 7-1 run later in the period to break a 12-all tie and build a six-point, 19-13, advantage. Long Beach State responded, chipping away to tie the set three times late before a kill by senior Lauran Matias and an ace by freshman
Lana Radakovic clinched the win and forced a fifth set.
Matias finished with a team-high 13 kills and wrapped up her ninth double-double of the season with 16 digs, moving her to within 46 kills of 1,000 for her career with five regular season matches remaining.
White added 10 kills, sophomore setter
Jane Seslar collected her eighth double-double of the year with 43 assists and 14 digs to go along with five blocks, while Lahav scooped 23 digs — just one off her career high set against Wyoming earlier this year.
UC Davis out-blocked Long Beach State, 17.0-6.0, for the match as junior
Alexa Rockas added six more blocks and Strehl stuffed four more. The 17 blocks were a season high and the most since the Aggies finished with 18 team blocks against Cal Poly on Nov. 24, 2015.
UC Davis returns to The Pavilion for its final home stand of the year next week, welcoming Cal State Fullerton to Northern California for the first meeting of the year between the two teams on Tuesday (Nov. 5) at 7 p.m. The Aggies then salute their senior class prior to their home finale against Hawai'i on Friday (Nov. 8), also 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.
