LONG BEACH, Calif. — UC Davis senior Lauren Matias finished with a match-high 13 kills while sophomore setter Jane Seslar recorded a double-double with 34 assists and 11 digs on the night, but the Aggies could not hold back Tulsa, which rebounded from an opening set loss to post a 3-1 win in the opening match of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship on Wednesday night at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.

Making its Division I postseason debut — and its first postseason appearance since 1996 — UC Davis wrapped up the 2019 campaign with a 17-13 overall record and a tie for fourth in the Big West Conference standings with a 9-7 mark. The 17 wins were the most since 2012 and the nine league wins were the most since 2015.

The Golden Hurricane improved to 16-15 overall and advanced to the second round, where they will meet either Long Beach State or Santa Clara on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Matias wrapped up her Aggie career with her 14th consecutive double-digit kill performance and 1,052 for her career, moving her into a tie for eighth on the all-time list with Jen Bryan (1993-96). She added five digs and three block assists.

Seslar, meanwhile, recorded her 10th double-double of the season, finishing as one of three UC Davis players with 10-or-more digs. Senior Ally Reyes added 12 more digs, while freshman Shira Lahav posted her team-high 18th match with double-digit digs, finishing with 20 scoops on the night — her eighth, 20-dig performance of the year.

At the net, the Aggies posted nine team blocks, led by five from senior Jackie Graves and four more by sophomore Josephine Ough, who also finished with eight kills and hit a team-best .444 on the night, becoming only the seventh player in the program's Division I history to reach 100 stuffs in a single season, finishing the year with 103.

UC Davis opened the match in a huge hole before clawing back to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Tulsa scored the first five points of the contest and led by a 7-1 count before the Aggies rallied. A kill by Mahalia White sparked a brief 3-0 run and UC Davis took advantage of three errors and flexed its muscles at the net on three straight points to tie the set at 13-all.

Another service error by the Golden Hurricane gave the Aggies their first lead of the set and, two points later, back-to-back kills by sophomore Leonie Strehl gave her team the lead for good, breaking a 14-14 tie. White then closed out the first set with back-to-back kills with Tulsa closing to within three points for the 25-20 victory.

The Golden Hurricane again jumped out quickly in the second and cruised to a 25-13 win to even the match before a tug-of-war ensued in a hotly-contested third. Down by as many as six points in the set, UC Davis got hot late, scoring nine of 11 at one point to tie the match at 23. The Aggies then fought off set point, drawing even once again on a kill by Ough, but back-to-back hitting errors handed Tulsa the 26-24 win.

In the fourth, the Golden Hurricane took control midway through the set with strong play at the net, breaking open a one-point game thanks to five straight blocks, and Tulsa closed out the match scoring four of the final six points for the 25-20 victory.

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.