DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis will compete in the conference's inaugural post season tournament when it takes on No. 3 seed Cal Poly in the first round of the 2023 Outrigger Big West Women's Volleyball Championship.
 
TALE OF THE TAPE
Nov. 22 vs. No. 3 Cal Poly | 7 p.m. | Long Beach, Calif. | Live Video
 
LAST WEEK
UC Davis grabbed the first set against regular season champions UC Santa Barbara, but the talented Gauchos won the next three sets to down the Aggies (24-26, 25-21, 25-21, 25-11) on Friday night inside the Thunderdome.
 
The regular season finale in San Luis Obispo proved to be the most exciting contest of the season as Cal Poly just edged the Aggies 15-13 in the decisive fifth set to snatch the victory. The Aggies finish their regular season campaign at 13-15 overall (8-10 Big West) and will occupy the number six seed in the inaugural 2023 Outrigger Big West Women's Volleyball Championship. 
 
Olivia Utterback exploded for a season-high 22 kills in what was her best performance of her junior season. The Plainfield, Ind. native was extremely efficient, hitting .419. Utterback was all over the court defensively, racking up 10 digs to earn her 11^thdouble-double of the year.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
UC Davis women's volleyball saw three Aggies receive All-Big West recognition as Olivia Utterback was named to the Second Team while Ally Chandler and Reese Diersbock were selected to the All-Freshman Team, announced Tuesday afternoon by conference officials.
 
Receiving All-Conference honors for the third time in her career, Olivia Utterback has enjoyed a sparkling junior season as one of the conference's most dominant hitters. She ranks top-10 in the Big West for kills (334), kills-per-set (2.96), points (409), and points-per-set (3.62) and has proven to be one of the conference's most versatile players as she has come up with 254 digs and 69 blocks. The Plainfield, Ind. native has posted 12 double-doubles on the year with 20 hauls in double figures, reaching double-digit kill totals in all but eight of the team's matches. Utterback is coming off her most impressive performance of the season, racking up a season-high 22 kills on a hitting percentage of .419 while snuffing out 10 digs defensively.
 
Ally Chandler broke onto the scene in her debut season at UC Davis by becoming a defensive force for her team. She finished second in the Big West for blocks (126) and ranked fourth in blocks-per-set (1.11). Chandler was also one of the most efficient hitters in the attack, posting a hitting percentage of .301 which was best on the team and seventh-best in the conference. The middle blocker averaged 2.00 points-pet-set and finished fourth on the team with 228 total points. Her impact was put on notice in her incredible display against UC Irvine on Sept. 23 when she tallied 11 blocks on her way to earning Big West Freshman of the Week honors. 
 
Also enjoying a fantastic freshman season was Reese Diersbock, finishing second on the team with 226 kills at the outside hitter position. Diersbock was named Big West Freshman of the week when she went three matches with double-digit kills in the Aggies' four-game week while highlighting her terrific stretch with a season-high 15 kills against Idaho State. The freshman from Kailua, Hawai'i had 11 games in double figures and ranked second on the team with 2.48 points-per-set and 2.11 kills-per-set.

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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