AUSTIN, Texas – On the last leg of the road trip in Austin, the UC Davis volleyball team bounced back to defeat Denver in four sets (25-19, 16-25, 25-20, 25-11) on Thursday at Gregory Gymnasium.
 
With a commanding fourth-set finish that saw the Aggies string together a season-high 12-0 run, UC Davis improved to 3-1 at neutral sites and 5-3 overall on the season. Denver fell to 3-4 on the year.
 
It was the third all-time meeting between the Aggies and the Pioneers with the previous matchup taking place in 2017 at Hamilton Gymnasium in Denver, Colorado.
 
The Aggies put up 41 kills on the match, led by senior Josephine Ough and sophomore Megan Lenn with ten apiece. Redshirt junior Demari Webb was right behind with nine kills of her own.
 
On the defensive end, junior Shira Lahav recorded a season-high 19 digs. UC Davis put up another strong performance at the net with 13 total blocks with Ough leading the block brigade with nine block assists.
 
In the opening set, the Aggies and Pioneers traded points swiftly to a 11-11 tie. Neither team separated themselves by more than four points until UC Davis pulled ahead 18-13 following the media stoppage. A kill by Webb and some miscues on offense forced Denver to take a timeout with a 20-14 UC Davis advantage. In the closing moments, the Pioneers mounted up the pressure, but junior Lana Radakovic denied their attempt to come back with a finishing kill to grab a 25-19 set victory.
 
The second set started similarly to the first with both sides drawing equal to a 10-10 tie. Denver then took the reins and steered out front to a 15-12 lead at the media timeout and again at 21-16 when the Aggies took one of their timeouts. The Pioneers held on to take the second set, closing it with a 6-0 run.
 
To open a pivotal third set, the Aggies jumped out to a 7-2 lead with Webb leading the charge on both ends with a kill and a solo block. UC Davis continued to flex their muscle with one of sophomore Olivia Utterback's four kills extending the lead to 13-8, forcing Denver to take a timeout. The Pioneers responded with some energy and a 3-0 run to cut into the Aggie lead, but UC Davis remained focused and secured a set-three win on a kill by Ough.
 
Mixing in a 3-0 run, the Aggies sprinted to an 8-3 advantage to kick off the fourth set. The veteran core of Webb and Ough persevered to stand strong as the Aggies served up their longest run of the season (12-0) to extend their lead to 23-10 through three timeouts. UC Davis sealed the deal with kills by sophomore Alexa Hogan and freshman Jade Light to take the set and match by a score of 25-11.
 
UC Davis returns home after a few days off and faces Saint Mary's at the University Credit Union Center on Sept. 13 at 6 pm PT.