FULLERTON, Calif. - The UC Davis volleyball team dramatically capped off the 2022 season, downing Cal State Fullerton, 3-2, in a five-set thriller Saturday evening.
The Aggies (15-15, 10-10 Big West) finished the season, winning six of their final eight matches. The loss dropped the Titans to 13-15 overall, and 7-13 in Big West Conference play. With the win, the Aggies clinched at least a .500 conference record for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Megan Lenn had a match-high 21 kills to lead the Aggies offensively.
Josephine Ough had 12 kills and
Demari Webb chipped in nine.
Casi Newman had a match-high 54 assists.
Defensively, five players had double-digit digs.
Shira Lahav had a match-high 22 digs for the Aggies. Lenn and Newman had 14 apiece,
Julia Ng had 13 and
Olivia Utterback tallied 10.
The Aggies started on a 13-6 run in the first set, capped by an Utterback kill. The Titans would come as close as four, at 21-17, but the Aggies would clinch the first frame, 25-18.
The Aggies started the second set on a 12-8 run, capped by an Utterback kill. The Titans would tie it at 12 and would take the lead at 19-18. After fighting off two set points by the Titans, the Aggies would tie the set at 24-24 on a kill by Newman. The two teams would trade points for the next two serves, but the Titans would score the final two points to win, 27-25.
The Titans would start the third set on a 17-11 run. The Aggies would respond with a 9-3 run of their own, capped by an attack error by the Titans, to tie the set at 20-20. After the teams traded points for the next eight serves, the Titans would take the lead for good at 25-24 and win the set, 26-24.
In the fourth set, the Titans would start on an 8-1 run. The Aggies responded with a 15-8 run, capped by an assisted block by Newman and Ough, to tie the set at 16-16. The Titans would score three of the following four points to take a 20-17 lead. The Ags would work their way back into the set and tie it at 24 on a service ace by
Makena Morrison. The Aggies would score the set's final two points to win, 26-24.
In the fifth set, the Aggies would start on a 12-6 run, capped by a kill by Lenn. The Titans would then go on a 7-1 run to tie the set at 13. After the teams traded points, the Aggies scored the final two points of the match – one on a service error by the Titans and one on an attack error – for the 16-14 set win and the 3-2 match victory.