DAVIS, Calif. — Senior human development major Lauren Matias collected a match-high 16 kills to go with 10 digs on the night, while freshman managerial economics major Demari Webb added 13 kills to help pace the offense, as host UC Davis swept past Pacific for the title of the 2019 Aggie Invitational on Saturday night at The Pavilion.

The Aggies' 25-23, 28-26, 25-19, win pushed them to 3-0 overall on the season without dropping a set, opening a campaign unbeaten through their first three matches for the third consecutive season and the fourth time in the program's Division I history.

Led by 12 kills from Carissa Bradford and 10 more from all-tournament selection Allison Dennemann, the Tigers suffered their first loss of the year, falling to 2-1.

Matias hit .800 on the night thanks to her 16 kills on 20 swings without an error — including being perfect on her first 11 attacks of the night and ranking as the third-highest single-match hitting performance in the program's history.

The Santa Cruz, Calif., native's performance came just one day after teammate Mahalia White tied the school mark with her .813 (13-0-16) hitting performance against Montana in the season opener.

White, who finished with eight kills against Pacific, was named the tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by Webb and junior art history major Jane Seslar. Webb hit .324 against the Tigers while Seslar collected 35 assists and averaged 10.56 assists per set for the weekend.

It was a nip-and-tuck battle all night with neither team able to pull away in a contest that featured 26 tied scores and six lead changes. Both teams traded points in the opening set before a late service error by Pacific sparked a late rally for UC Davis, which scored three-straight points following a 21-all tie and clinched the set on another error to go up 1-0.

After 11 tie scores in the opening set, neither team was willing to budge in an extended set two that featured 13 more tie scores. The Aggies led by as many as three points in the opening moments, but the Tigers roared back, taking advantage of a UC Davis service error out of a timeout for a 6-0 run and a 21-17 lead.

A kill by Dennemann gave Pacific set point at 24-23 and, following a kill by Matias, Carissa Bradford had the Tigers on the verge once again before the Aggies rallied for a set point of their own after a service error and a Webb kill to make it 26-25. Bradford tied the score again with another kill, but Alexa Rockas found floor and a block by Webb and Josephine Ough gave UC Davis a 2-0 lead.

In the third, a kill by Webb broke a 9-9 tie midway through the set and sparked a run of five straight points for the Aggies and UC Davis caged Pacific the rest of the way, not letting the Tigers come closer than two points at 17-15 the rest of the way.

No rest for the weary as the Aggies are right back in action on Tuesday (Sept. 3) at 7 p.m., hosting Sacramento State in a Causeway Cup battle at The Pavilion to close out their season-opening homestand.

2019 AGGIE INVITATIONAL FINAL STANDINGS
1. UC Davis (3-0)
2. Pacific (2-1)
3. San Jose State (1-2)
4. Montana (0-3)

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Janna Grimsrud (Montana)
Thaliana Grajeda (San Jose State)
Sarah Smevog (San Jose State)
Riley Patterson (Pacific)
Allison Dennemann (Pacific)
Jane Seslar (UC Davis)
Demari Webb (UC Davis)
Mahalia White (UC Davis - MVP)

UC Davis def. Pacific 25-23, 28-26, 25-19
Pacific (2-1) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Bradford, Carissa 12-0-2; Dennemann, Allison 10-0-1; Patterson, Riley 8-1-1; Kaminsky, Kennedy 5-1-2; De Schrjver, Hanne 5-0-0; Sherman, Sedona 2-0-0; Saler, Kaelyn 1-0-1; Tubbs, Jadyn 0-1-0; Leo, Gabby 0-1-0; Totals 43-4-4.0. (Assists) - Leo, Gabby 20; De Schrjver, Hanne 12. (Dig leaders) - Tubbs, Jadyn 14; Bradford, Carissa 8

UC Davis (3-0) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Matias, Lauren 16-0-2; Webb, Demari 13-0-1; White, Mahalia 8-0-2; Rockas, Alexa 4-1-1; Ough, Josephine 2-0-4; Seslar, Jane 1-2-0; Lahav, Shira 0-1-0; Totals 44-4-6.0. (Assists) - Seslar, Jane 36. (Dig leaders) - Matias, Lauren 10; Reyes, Ally 5

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 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
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.