MISSOULA, Mont. — After winning their first two matches on day one of the Ellesyn Invitational, UC Davis remained perfect on the season with a 3-1 victory over Montana to claim the tournament championship at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Mont.
 
"Our team plays with a lot of heart and a lot of fight," head coach Dan Conners said. "Montana pushed us hard today, but we stayed consistent and kept fighting. We had players come off the bench, execute and make some big plays. I think the team feels good about themselves right now."
 
The Aggies improved to 3-0 on the season and matched their record to the start of the 2019 season, while the host Montana dropped to 2-1 with the loss in four sets.
 
Sophomore Casi Newman was named tournament MVP after tying a season-high 48 assists against the Grizzlies and leading all players in the tournament with 117 total assists.
 
Redshirt junior Demari Webb, who was also named to the all-tournament team, led the Aggies with 17 kills, hitting at a .250 clip. Webb finished the tournament leading the Aggies with 42 kills and 3.82 kills per set.
 
"Demari played really well," Conners said. "She did a great job attacking and blocking, mixing up her shots. She scored a lot of points for us."
 
Senior Josephine Ough added 14 kills and five blocks. Sophomore Megan Lenn recorded a career-best 11 kills, making her the third Aggie with double-digit kills in the match.

In a back-and-forth opening set, the Aggies separated themselves with a 7-0 run to take a 13-5 lead. The Grizzlies attempted to respond, the middle-blocking presence of Josephine Ough and junior Lana Radakovic stymied the offense. UC Davis added another 5-0 run en route to a 25-15 first set victory, featuring a pair of her first collegiate aces by freshman Haden Bones.
 
The Aggies continued to find unique angles to attack offensively, jumping out to a 6-4 lead to open the second set. The second went back-and-forth before evening at 19-19. Neither team held more than a four-point lead in the set as the Grizzlies squeezed out a closely contested win, 29-27.
 
After trading 3-0 runs, Montana put up four straight points for a 12-9 lead, prompting UC Davis to take a timeout early in the third set. The Aggies responded from down as many as six points to knot the score at 23-23. For the second consecutive set, the 25-point mark was surpassed as a kill and ace by sophomore Olivia Utterback ended the pivotal third set in the Aggies' favor, 29-27.
 
A back-and-forth fourth set finally saw UC Davis go on a 4-0 run to gain a 12-8 edge. The Aggies extended their lead and never looked back, claiming the fourth set, 25-18.
 
UC Davis hit .267 for the match compared to the Grizzlies' hitting percentage of .209.
 
The Aggies remain on the road next week, facing their first ranked opponent of the season in No. 19 Oregon in Eugene, Oregon on Sept. 1.