DAVIS, Calif. — Senior
Lauren Matias finished with a match-high 18 kills and hit .308 on the night, leading two other Aggies in double figures and helping lift host UC Davis to a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over UC Irvine in the Big West Conference women's volleyball opener for both teams on Tuesday night in front of a boisterous crown of 1,308 at The Pavilion.
The Aggies won for the fourth time in the last five matches, improving to 9-5 overall on the year and 1-0 in league play, improving to 5-0 at home this season — the program's best start at The Pavilion since the 2011 squad opened 8-0.
Led by Abby Marjama's 13 kills, the Anteaters fell to 3-10 overall and 0-1 in the Big West.
Matias and White each logged their team-best ninth double-digit kill performances of the season, as White finished with 10 kills to help bolster the offense, which also received 12 kills from sophomore
Josephine Ough, who hit .526 and added eight blocks.
Reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Week
Shira Lahav logged her third consecutive match with at least 20 digs, logging 20 on the nose on Tuesday night, while Matias added 13 more to complete her sixth double-double of the season.
The Aggies jumped out quickly and cruised to a 25-15 victory in the opening set before UC Irvine rallied back to take sets two and three, coming back from the brink in set two to win 26-24 and rolling to a 25-13 win in the third after building a 12-point lead.
Undaunted, UC Davis fought off elimination in the fourth, turning a two-point, 16-14 advantage into a 22-14 lead behind the serving of freshman
Perri Starkey and forced a decisive fifth set by scoring the period's final three points to take it, 25-15.
In the fifth, the Aggies left no doubt, scoring six of the first seven points and leading 8-3 at the changeover. The two teams traded service errors, followed by a
Leonie Strehl kill and
Ally Reyes ace for an 11-4 lead and UC Davis never looked back despite the Anteaters making it interesting late.
Trailing 13-6, UC Irvine ran off four straight points — three of those on kills by Marjama and an ace by Sophie Wood, before another service error set the Aggies up at match-point. UC Davis then came up big at the net as Ough and White combined on the game-winner, stuffing an attempt by Carrissa MacDonald to clinch the match, 15-10.
The Aggies' 11 total blocks were just one shy of the team's season high set against Wyoming on Sept. 14, while Ough's nine blocks were a season high by an Aggie, surpassing XX
UC Davis closes out the opening weekend of Big West play on Sunday (Sept. 29) at 2 p.m. against UC Riverside at The Pavilion.
UC Davis def. UC Irvine 25-15,24-26,13-25,25-15,15-10
UC Irvine (3-10, 0-1) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Marjama, Abby 13-1-1; Carter, Loryn 12-1-2; Wolfe, Makayla 10-0-4; Stewart, Cassie 4-0-0; MacDonald, Carrissa 4-2-1; Stanton, Kiani 3-0-0; Ofoegbu, Onye 2-0-0; Wood, Sophie 1-1-0; Negron, Kelly 1-0-2; Owens, Chloe 0-1-0; Alonso, Erin 0-1-0; Totals 50-7-5.0. (Assists) - Negron, Kelly 31. (Dig leaders) - Alonso, Erin 11; Marjama, Abby 9
UC Davis (9-5, 1-0) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Matias, Lauren 18-2-2; Ough, Josephine 12-0-8; White, Mahalia 10-0-2; Strehl, Leonie 5-0-2; Webb, Demari 4-2-1; Rockas, Alexa 4-2-3; Graves, Jackie 0-0-1; Reyes, Ally 0-1-0; Starkey, Perri 0-1-0; Seslar, Jane 0-0-2; Lahav, Shira 0-2-0; Totals 53-10-11.0. (Assists) - Seslar, Jane 36. (Dig leaders) - Lahav, Shira 20; Matias, Lauren 13; Seslar, Jane 8
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.
