EUGENE, Ore. – On the second day of the Oregon Invitational, UC Davis battled closely against Rice University, but ultimately lost, 3-0, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore.
 
By scores of 25-16, 25-17 and 25-9, the Aggies drop to 3-2 on the season while the Owls improved to 4-0. UC Davis was swept for the second time this season.
 
"We had good moments," head coach Dan Conners said. "Rice put a lot of pressure on us offensively. I thought we were able to handle the pressure at moments, but in the long run, we were not. That was the difference. We couldn't sustain the level for as long as we needed to."
 
Redshirt junior Demari Webb led the Aggies with five kills. Senior Josephine Ough added three more kills and a block. On the defensive side, junior Shira Lahav paced UC Davis with 12 digs.
 
After a back-and-forth start to the opening set, the Owls strung together a pair of 3-0 runs to take a 14-9 lead, which led to UC Davis taking a timeout. Out of the break, Rice cruised with another couple scoring runs that eventually carried them to a first set victory.
 
The second set started like the first with the Owls going on a run following some back-and-forth scoring to hold an 8-5 advantage. One of the four kills on the day by sophomore Megan Lenn sparked an Aggie comeback, but Rice regained momentum and took a 14-9 lead into a timeout by UC Davis. The Aggies tried to respond, but the Owls proved too strong and won the second set, 25-17.
 
In the third and final set, the Aggies struggled out of the gate, falling behind 7-1. The Owls didn't look back after doubling their lead and ultimately capped off the set, 25-9.
 
The Aggies return home for their first home match of the season against rival Sacramento State at the University Credit Union Center on Monday at 3 PM PT.
 
"We know we can play good defense and slow down offensive teams," Conners said. "We serve tough, and we put a lot of pressure on with our serve. We know we will have opportunities to score."