MISSOULA, Mont. — Redshirt junior Demari Webb finished with a team-high 17 kills and hit .316 in the opener, while junior Shira Lahav added a career-high six service aces along with a team-leading 11 digs in the nightcap as the Aggies took down UT Arlington, 3-1, and North Dakota, 3-0, on day one of the Ellesyn Invitational at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Mont.
 
With the pair of wins, the Aggies are 2-0 on the season and begin undefeated for the first time since 2019.
 
After falling in the first set to UT Arlington, the Aggies answered with the three straight set wins, led by the performances of Demari Webb and sophomore Olivia Utterback, to secure the victory, 3-1.
 
The Aggies took command of their second game of the day, controlling the offense and defense steadily while the team collected 12 service aces to take the edge in the sweep over North Dakota, 3-0.
 
UC Davis closes out the Ellesyn Invitational on Saturday (Aug. 27) at 11 a.m. PT, taking on Montana in the tournament finale for both schools.
 
MATCH 1: UC Davis def. UT Arlington, 21-25, 25-11, 25-21, 25-23
 
Demari Webb led the Aggies with a career-best 17 kills and hit .316 for the contest as UC Davis battled back to win their season-opening match in four sets.
 
Olivia Utterback tacked on 15 kills, leading the offensive force alongside Webb. Sophomore Casi Newman and junior Shira Lahav each added 14 digs in a sound defensive effort by the Aggies. Newman also paved the way on the offensive end, dishing out 48 assists.
 
In the opening game, UT Arlington started with a 9-2 run before the Aggies took a timeout, recuperated, and responded with an 8-1 run of their own. After back-and-forth scoring, the Mavericks took control down the stretch and went on to take the opening set.
 
UC Davis commanded game two with a pair of scoring runs, including a 9-1 stretch, featuring a pair of kills by senior Josephine Ough, who finished the match with eight kills and a hitting percentage of .500.
 
Sophomore Julia Ng collected two of her three services aces in the second set, sparking some momentum for the Aggies, who closed out the game on a strong note to even the match at one game each, 25-11. The Aggies hit a match-high .462 during the second set, making just two errors on 26 attempts.
 
In the third, the Aggies used a 7-1 scoring run following a timeout to grasp momentum of the pivotal set. The Mavericks tried to answer with four straight points to trail by two, but the Aggies held on for a 25-21 victory.
 
UT Arlington sprung out to a 7-1 lead to begin the fourth set, but the Aggies battled back in a hard-fought set and took their first lead of the game at 20-19 on a kill by Webb. The score was knotted at 23 points apiece when back-to-back kills by junior Lana Radakovic and Demari Webb secured the match win by a score of 25-23.
 
The Aggies finished with three players in double-digit kills, getting 17 from Demari Webb and 15 from Olivia Utterback, while sophomore Megan Lenn recorded a career-best ten kills. The Aggies hit .232 for the match to just .132 for UT Arlington.
 
 
MATCH 2: UC Davis def. North Dakota, 25-19, 25-20, 25-17
 
While Demari Webb guided the Aggies with eight kills on the offensive end, the Aggies served up success at the line with a dozen aces to tip the scales in the sweep over the Fighting Hawks.
 
In the opening game, the Aggies collected seven aces, which helped UC Davis go on a 9-1 run en route to 25-19 set win. Shira Lahav tallied three aces during the first set and finished the match with six aces and a team-leading 11 digs.
 
The Fighting Hawks jumped out to an early lead in the second game. However, a successful challenge by head coach Dan Conners sparked a 6-0 run by the Aggies to even the score up at 13-13. The set ended on a strong kill by Megan Lenn, who finished the match with seven kills and a pair of service aces. The Aggies won the set, 25-20 - the closest margin of the three games.
 
For the third and final set, the Aggies took advantage of the six service errors by North Dakota while showcasing a stout effort defensively to secure the sweep by a score of 25-17. Julia Ng, Olivia Utterback and Shira Lahav each picked up an ace in the set. Casi Newman dished out 21 assists in the match.
 
The Aggies hit .235 for the match to just .102 for North Dakota.