DAVIS, Calif. -- The No. 3 pairing of Heather Reed and Savanah Schroeder and No. 5 tandem of Ally Reyes and Nicole Andrade each won both of their matches to highlight UC Davis in a Friday beach volleyball doubleheader against Oregon. The Aggies won the first match, 3-2, with Reed/Schroeder coming back from a first-set deficit to take the deciding match. The second match was then halted and suspended in a 2-2 tie.
Friday's action served as the true home opener for UC Davis, in its inaugural year of beach volleyball. The Aggies hosted Sacramento State back on March 2, although that was originally intended to be a road match in Folsom, and contested before the new beach facility by the campus's north entrance was completed.
"The courts looked absolutely beautiful," said head coach Ali McColloch. "The girls were in awe when they came out. They practice out here but having it all set up is something to be proud of. The girls felt that."
Besides the aesthetics of having the first match on the mostly completed facility, Friday's weather also provided an impromptu home-court advantage for UC Davis, McColloch said. Winds had averaged more than 20 miles per hour throughout the week, providing the Aggies an opportunity to work in such conditions.
"They prepared really well," said the veteran AVP Beach pro. "We worked all week on that gusty win and just trying to side out on the bad side for the whole entire practice. We didn't even mess with the good side. The girls executed really well at controlling what they can control."
Oddly, both Reed and Schroeder had been sidelined for most of the week due to illness, and did not take part in practice until Thursday. Yet both credited their health for its part in their Friday victories.
"We were joking earlier today that because we were sick, we were a little more ruthless," said Reed, the team's lone fourth-year student. "We just wanted to end the point. I think I played a much calmer game because I'm coming back from being sick. It was awesome having our team come over and support us in the third set because we are a little hoarse."
"I think we just played really aggressive today and went after it," Schroeder said. "We weren't hesitant. We were just confident. We just had a really good day."
Reed/Schroeder lost a close 22-20 battle in the pair's opener with Oregon's Lauren Page and Emily Mattoon, then came back to equalize with a 21-15 victory in the second. They then proceeded to ride a 7-2 start to a 15-9 win in the deciding set. Reed and Schroeder then won their afternoon tilt in straight sets, 21-15 and 21-17.
The Reyes/Andrade tandem swept both matches on the day, beating Carly Wallace and Elise Ferreira by scores of 21-18, 21-15 in the morning; then 21-14, 21-19 in the nightcap.
Ultimately, however, Friday's second match was not completed. On the No. 2 court, Oregon's Maddy Silberger-Frank and August Raskie took a 21-16 win in the opener, then trailed 16-13 in the second to UC Davis' duo of Lauren Matias and Jane Seslar. An injury halted play, and the official suspended the No. 2 match with no team point awarded.
Friday's match also saw another Aggie debut. Katherine Kedeshian, a transfer from CSUN who attended Santa Clara in the fall, paired with freshman Rose Holscher at fours. Holscher/Kedeshian split its matches against Oregon's Josie Cole and Ally Haden.
UC Davis returns to action on Saturday, taking on Pacific as part of a Picnic Day doubleheader. The Aggies-Tigers match begins at 12:30, completing a twinbill with an Oregon-Pacific showdown at 9:30 a.m.
UC DAVIS 3, OREGON 2
1. Lindsey Vander Weide/Brooke Nuneviller (UO) def. Lauren Matias/Jane Seslar (UC Davis), 21-11, 21-15
2. Maddy Silberger-Franek/August Raskie (UO) def. Paloma Bowman/Josephine Ough (UC Davis), 21-12, 21-14
3. Heather Reed/Savanah Schroeder (UC Davis) def. Lauren Page/Emily Mattoon (UO), 20-22, 21-15, 15-9
4. Rose Holscher/Katherine Kedeshian (UC Davis) def. Josie Cole/Ally Haden (UO), 22-20, 21-8
5. Ally Reyes/Nicole Andrade (UC Davis) def. Carly Wallace/Elise Ferreira (UO), 21-18, 21-15
UC DAVIS 2, OREGON 2 (suspended)
1. Lindsey Vander Weide/Brooke Nuneviller (UO) def. Paloma Bowman/Josephine Ough (UC Davis), 21-15, 21-12
2. Maddy Silberger-Franek/August Raskie (UO) vs. Lauren Matias/Jane Seslar (UC Davis), 21-16, 13-16, susp.
3. Heather Reed/Savanah Schroeder (UC Davis) def. Lauren Page/Emily Mattoon (UO), 21-15, 21-17
4. Josie Cole/Ally Haden (UO) def. Rose Holscher/Katherine Kedeshian (UC Davis), 18-21, 21-13, 15-6
5. Ally Reyes/Nicole Andrade (UC Davis) def. Carly Wallace/Elise Ferreira (UO), 21-14, 21-19
GIVE DAY: The 105th Picnic Day weekend also brings the third-annual UC Davis Give Day campaign, during which all faculty, staff, alumni, parents, students and friends of the university participate in an online fundraising campaign from noon Friday to 5 p.m. Saturday... Within athletics, each Aggie varsity team has its own campaign, as does Team Aggie, sports medicine, the Marya Welch Initiative, strength & conditioning, and Aggie EVO... Fans may contribute to beach volleyball by visiting giveday.ucdavis.edu/giving-day/12421/department/14781.
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 among the top 10 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: Established 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.
