DAVIS, Calif. -- UC Davis senior Lauren Matias finished with a match-high 14 kills and hit .400 on the day, helping her team hit .418 for the match and lead the Aggies to a, 25-14, 25-13, 25-17, sweep over UC Riverside on Sunday afternoon in Big West Conference action at The Pavilion.

Winning its third straight contest, UC Davis improved to 10-5 overall and moved to 2-0 in Big West play for the first time since 2012. The Aggies also improved to 6-0 at The Pavilion with Sunday's win, their best since an 8-0 start in 2011.

Led by nine kills from Kat Lowry, the Highlanders fell to 5-8 overall and 1-1 in the league, held to just .077 hitting for the match.

In a contest that featured only two tie scores and one lead change, UC Davis dominated from the outset, hitting a match-high .433 in the opening set behind Matias' five kills. The Aggies continued to roll in the second, scoring the set's first 11 points and leading by as many as 14 before UCR punched back, but never coming closer than 10 points at 21-11.

Sophomore Mahalia White then helped her team close out the match with four of her nine kills in the third set, hitting .800 in five swings as UC Davis capitalized on nine errors by the Highlanders' offense and collected 11 blocks in the set alone. Overall, the Aggies finished with 13 team blocks to none for Riverside as sophomore Josephine Ough finished with seven on her own while hitting .714 (5-0-7) for the match.

White hit .600 (9-0-15) with out an error to help lead UC Davis, while sophomore Leonie Strehl was also brutally efficient, hitting .615 for the contest, collecting eight kills on 13 swings without an error.

Sophomore setter Jane Seslar finished with 26 assists, while freshman libero Shira Lahav added 10 digs defensively.

The Aggies return to the road with a pair of matches on the Central Coast next week, facing UC Santa Barbara on Friday (Oct. 4), before taking on Cal Poly on Saturday (Oct. 5). Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. at their respective sites.

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.