DAVIS, Calif. — Redshirt junior
Demari Webb earned a team-leading, career-high 21 kills, but the UC Davis women's volleyball team fell to the University of Hawaii in a high-intense battle of five sets, 3-2, Saturday at University Credit Union Center in Davis, Calif.
"We played with a lot of spirit and a lot of fight," head coach
Dan Conners said. "Our team is good. We can play with the best. We were in the right mentality tonight for big stretches."
The Aggies fall to 4-8 in Big West action and 9-13 overall on the season.
Webb carried the torch on offense for UC Davis, collecting a team-best 21 kills while two more Aggies registered double-digit kill performances in freshman Jade Light (13) and senior
Josephine Ough (11).
"Demari was jumping high and hitting hard throughout the match," Conners said. "I love the way she played tonight."
Sophomore Casi Newman was one set assist shy of tying her career-high, collecting 53 set assists on the night.
The Aggies got off to a strong start, surprising the Rainbow Wahine with a flurry of attacks from all angles to take the opening set, 25-16.
Hawai'i responded with a dominant second set, showing no mercy with a 7-0 run out of the gate to eventually never look back and snatch the set by a score of 25-16.
In a pivotal third set, both teams went back-and-forth for the entire length of the set with Hawai'i holding the largest lead of five points at 18-13. However, the Aggies bounced back and knotted up the score at 21 points apiece with a service ace by sophomore Olivia Utterback. The third set required more than 25 points as the two sides battled fiercely to earn consecutive points. Despite a strong comeback from UC Davis, Hawai'i was able to take the set, 28-26.
The Aggies wouldn't go quietly away in the fourth set, stringing together multiple runs and eventually securing a critical fourth set, 25-19, to set up a game-deciding fifth set.
It was Hawai'i who got off to a strong start for the fifth and final set, but the Aggies were able to battle back and level the playing field at 4-4. Both sides traded kills and service mistakes. After switching sides at the required 8-point mark, the Rainbow Wahine took off and ultimately put the game away with a 15-9 set and match victory.
For the match, UC Davis hit .305 compared to .304 for the Rainbow Wahine.
The Aggies travel on the road next week when they face UC San Diego on Friday, Nov. 4 at 7 pm PT.
