DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis senior
Lauren Matias finished with a double-double of 24 kills and 14 digs, while junior
Alexa Rockas added 10 kills and hit .625 on the night, leading the Aggies to a 3-1 (25-20, 25-15, 25-19, 25-7) victory over visiting Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday night at The Pavilion.
Hitting .317 as a team on the night, UC Davis improved to 14-11 overall and 6-6 in Big West Conference play, closing out the match by hitting .464 in the final set, committing only one error in 28 swings. The seven points allowed in the fourth set are the fewest by the Aggies since a 15-7 fifth-set victory against UC Irvine on Oct. 20, 2018.
The victory was the 12th straight in the series for UC Davis over Cal State Fullerton, winning for the seventh straight match at The Pavilion.
Led by nine kills from freshman Julia Crawford, the Titans fell to 11-10 overall and 3-7 in league play, combining for 21 errors against only 20 kills in the second through fourth sets after hitting .400 in a first-set victory.
It was the fourth 20-kill performance of the year for Matias, who finished just three kills shy of her season high and posted her 10th double-double of the year. Rockas posted only her second double-digit kill total of the year without an error on 16 swings as the Aggies committed only 12 total hitting errors.
Matias now stands 22 kills shy of 1,000 for her career following Tuesday night's performance, entering Friday's "Senior Night" finale against No. 19 Hawai'i with 347 kills on the season.
Sophomore setter
Jane Seslar added her ninth double-double of the season with 43 assists and 11 digs, while freshman
Shira Lahav finished with a career-high 25 digs, tacking on a pair of aces.
First serve for Friday's match between the Aggies and Rainbow Wahine is scheduled for 7 p.m. The UC Davis senior class will be honored during pregame ceremonies prior to starting lineups.
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.
