IRVINE, Calif. — Sophomore
Lana Radakovic finished with a career-high 17 kills to lead four Aggies in double figures, but host UC Irvine collected 11 team blocks and out-hit UC Davis on the night en route to a 3-1 (26-24, 18-25, 25-23, 25-22) victory on Friday evening at the Bren Events Center.
The Aggies fell to 5-9 overall and 1-2 in Big West Conference play with the loss, heading to league newcomer UC San Diego on Saturday night to close out their Southern California road trip. First serve in La Jolla, Calif., is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Radakovic hit .261 on the night, sharing team-high honors with
Josephine Ough in points with 17.5 for the match. Ough was one of that quartet in double figures, ending the night with 15 kills and hitting .483, committing only one error in 29 total swings. She also added four blocks.
The freshman duo of
Amara Aimufua and
Olivia Utterback chipped in with 12 and 11 kills, respectively, with Utterback adding four aces and a pair of blocks to go with eight digs. Friday marked Aimufua's eighth double-digit kill performance of the year — and her fourth in the last five matches — while Utterback collected her fourth such performance.
Freshman
Casi Newman directed the offense to the tune of a career-high 51 assists and tacked on her first career double-double with a career-high 12 digs. Sophomore
Shira Lahav led the Aggies with 17 digs for her 10th double-digit dig performance of the season and her highest total since scooping up 23 against California on Sept. 16.
The two teams went toe-to-toe in most categories on the night, but the Anteaters were a bit more efficient, hitting .272 as a team to UC Davis' .258 for the match. UC Irvine, however, was stout at the net, collecting 22 total blocks to 11 for the Aggies.
UC Davis finished the match with seven service aces, which are tied for the second-highest total this season and the most since the team finished with eight in a win over Santa Clara back on Sept. 4 to win the Aggie Invitational.
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, over 700 student-athletes across 25 teams enjoy an unrivaled undergraduate experience at the fifth-ranked public school in the country.
Ranked annually in the nation's top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis and its innovative Aggie EVO System helps student-athletes develop passions, connect with a comprehensive network of alums and industry leaders, gain real-world experience and thrive as a young professional following a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school.
