DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis heads back on the road after playing its first home games of the season, traveling down to Long Beach State and UC San Diego for a pair of Big West Conference matchups.
 
TALE OF THE TAPE
Oct. 13 at Long Beach State | 7 p.m. | Long Beach, Calif. | Live Stats | Live Video
The Beach have been dominant in the all-time series, leading 29-6 dating back to 2004. Friday night's opponents have won the last three matchups, including last year's three-set sweep at the end of November. Long Beach State has enjoyed a nice start to 2023, posting a 10-6 overall record (4-2 Big West) with a marquee victory over No. 1 Texas in its season opener. Abby Karich leads the team with 134 total kills and 151 total points. At the setter position, Zayna Meyer is averaging just under 10 assists-per-set and ranks second in the conference with 599 assists on the year.


Oct. 14 at UC San Diego | 7 p.m. | La Jolla, Calif. | Live Stats | Live Video
The all-time series has been much tighter against the Tritons as the Aggies hold a slight 12-11 advantage. UC Davis has been victorious in each of the last three contests, picking up a sweep in last year's matchup in La Jolla. UC San Diego brings a 10-8 (2-4 Big West) record into Saturday's match and are winners of its last two conference games after dropping four straight to start its campaign. Ava McInnes has been the go-to hitter for the Tritons with her team-best 217 kills and conference best 3.74 kills-per-set. 
 
LAST WEEK
UC Davis finally saw its winning streak coming to an end as Cal Poly rallied to take three straight sets after dropping the first, picking up the four-set victory on Thursday night inside a loud University Credit Union Center.
 
The Aggies also suffer their first Big West defeat of the season, falling to 4-1, while the Mustangs extend their win streak to four games and improve to 4-1 in conference play.
 
UC Davis battled extremely well against a talented UC Santa Barbara team that received votes in the most recent national poll, taking the Gauchos to five sets, but the visitors would escape with the victory on Saturday afternoon.

Two sets would go beyond 25 points, including a 33-31 thriller in the opening frame. It would come down to the wire as UC Santa Barbara edged out the final frame 15-11 to improve to 16-2 (6-0 Big West) while UC Davis suffered its second straight defeat to fall to 9-7 (4-2 Big West)

HISTORIC START
The win over CSUN marks the Aggies' longest win streak since 2018 when Davis' team rattled off seven straight victories. UC Davis also posts its best-ever start to the conference slate since joining the Big West in 2007.


EYES ON THE PRIZE
The Big West will feature a postseason conference tournament for the first time in the conference's history following the 2023 regular season. This brand-new championship event will reward the winner with the league's automatic big into the field of the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. The Aggies will hope to be playing their best volleyball Nov. 22-25 in Long Beach for the inaugural conference tournament.
 
LIVing UP TO THE HYPE
Headlining an experienced group of returning talent will be Olivia Utterback who was named to the 2023 Big West Preseason Coaches' Team. The opposite from Plainfield, Ind. finished second on the team with 265 kills and 335 points. She posted a team-high 35 service aces in 2022 and will bring a veteran presence to the Aggies' locker room.
 
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
UC Davis has added seven talented freshmen to the roster who look to break onto the scene in their first seasons wearing the Blue and Gold.
Two middle blockers, Ally Chandler and Allie Caldwell, will compete for significant playing time at the position while Breeze Czapinski, Reese Diersbock, Rachel Dunagan, and Brooke Hibino will provide depth at outside hitter. Mia Starr rounds out the group of the newcomers as the lone setter of the 2023 signing class.
 
2023 UC DAVIS WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL NEWCOMERS
Allie Caldwell (Middle Blocker, 6'0", San Carlos, CA / Sequoia HS, Rage Westside VBC)
Ally Chandler, (Middle Blocker, 6'2", Loomis, CA / Del Oro HS, Synergy Force)
Breeze Czapinski (Outside Hitter, 5'10", Ramona, CA; Poway HS; San Diego Volleyball Club)
Reese Diersbock (Outside Hitter, 6'0", Kailua, HI / Le Jardin Academy, Ku'ikahi VBC)
Rachel Dunagan (Outside Hitter, 5'10", Albuquerque, NM / Ballard HS, Sudden Impact VBC)
Brooke Hibino (Outside Hitter, 6'1"; Salinas, CA / Salinas HS; Vision VBC)
Mia Starr (Setter, 5'10", Portland, OR / Central Catholic HS, Oregon Juniors Volleyball Academy)
 
Tickets are now on sale. Click HERE or call the UC Davis Ticket Office at 530-752-2471 for more information.
 
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