DAVIS, Calif. – With six games remaining in the regular season and four of them inside the University Credit Union Center, UC Davis' push towards a spot in the inaugural Big West Conference Tournament will require some crucial wins down the stretch, starting with this week's matchups against UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton.
 
TALE OF THE TAPE
Nov. 2  vs. UC Irvine | 6  p.m. | Davis, Calif. | Live Stats | Live Video
UC Irvine (7-16, 5-7 Big West) is a team chasing UC Davis in the Big West standings, sitting just a game behind the Aggies as the two teams head into a very important contest. Despite their early struggles, the Anteaters recently enjoyed a massive four-set win over league leaders No. 25 UC Santa Barbara, handing them their first conference defeat of the season. UC Irvine then took another top-half team, Cal Poly, to five sets on Saturday. Hunter Riedl leads the team with 203 kills and 2.78 kills-per-set.
 
Nov. 4 vs. Cal State Fullerton | 1 p.m. | Davis, Calif. | Live Stats
The Titans have just one win in the 2023 season (1-20, 0-12 Big West) but are coming off a decent showing against Cal Poly where they took the Mustangs to five sets. When UC Davis traveled to Fullerton, it took a reverse sweep for the Aggies to comeback and win in a five-set thriller.
 
LAST WEEK
UC Davis is still searching for its first home win of the season as it suffered a defeat via the sweep to the Tritons of UC San Diego on Thursday night. It was a tough night for Davis' team, posting a season-low hitting percentage of .029 while committing 24 attack errors, their most in a three-set match this season. UC San Diego's Ava McInnes showed why she is one of the most feared hitters in the conference, slamming down a game-high 15 kills while hitting at a .419 clip.
 
The struggles at home continued for UC Davis, falling in four sets to a talented Long Beach State team on Saturday afternoon.It was another difficult day for UC Davis on the offensively, hitting just .169 as a team with 22 attack errors. Inconsistency at the service line also plagued the Aggies with 15 service errors in the contest. Long Beach State was firing on all cylinders, hitting an impressive .328 with Elise Agi leading the way with a game-high 18 kills.

750 CLUB
Olivia Utterback recently reached 750 kills for her career. She has been exceptional in her junior season, posting a team-high 259 kills and 3.01 kills-per set, ranking sixth in the conference in both categories. Her 3.69 points-per-set is top-10 in the Big West but Utterback has also played a huge role in the defense, tallying 174 digs which is the second-most on the team.

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.
 
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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