STOCKTON, Calif. – UC Davis was unable to keep the win streak alive on Tuesday evening at the Alex G. Spanos Center when Pacific grabbed a 3-1 (23-25, 28-26, 24-26, 20-25) victory inside its own gym.
The Aggies hit just .121 as a team in what proved to be a tough night on the offensive end. Three Tigers finished in double-digits with Biamba Kabengele leading the way with her game-high 18 kills.
"Pacific played a solid match," said Head Coach
Dan Conners. "They had a good plan and executed. We lacked consistency in our skill execution and mental performance. That's on me. I've got to make sure that we are training at a high enough level to be prepared for matches like this. We will make some adjustments, learn from it and move forward."
Olivia Utterback paced the UC Davis attack with 12 kills on the night while also racking up 11 digs defensively. For the third-straight contest,
Casi Newman missed out on a double-double by just one dig as she turned in 19 assists and nine digs.
Megan Lenn enjoyed a solid night, posting nine kills and 10 digs.
Set 1
It was a hotly contested opening set in Stockton as the two teams batted to an 8-8 deadlock. Pacific would be the first team to find some momentum, winning six of the next seven points to take a 14-9 lead and force a UC Davis timeout. The Aggies regained their footing after the timeout, winning four straight points to close the gap, using back-to-back blocks from
Ally Chandler and Utterback.
Just as the hosts started to pull away yet again, Chandler and
Amara Aimufua came up with a crucial block to get the Ags back on track. Newman delivered a service ace before UC Davis grinded out a long rally, knotting things up at 20-20. The two teams would trade points to find themselves tied at 23-23, but it would be the Tigers delivering the final blow to snatch the first set 25-23.
Set 2
UC Davis came out firing in the second set by racing out to a 5-0 lead. A timeout allowed the hosts to regroup and find a way back into the set, and the two teams would find themselves tied at 8-8 yet again. The Aggies managed to build a 16-13 lead, but the Tigers would not go away, roaring back to take the lead.
UC Davis trailed by two, facing a two-set deficit, but
Allie Caldwell and
Jade Light teamed up for a momentum-changing block. Newman took advantage of the opportunity by unleashing two straight aces to put her team back in front. With the score tied at 24-24, the freshman pairing of Chandler and
Reese Diersbock stuffed an attack the net. Each team fought off multiple set points in a frantic back-and-forth battle that featured 10 ties and four lead changes, but the Aggies would prevail 28-26 to level things up at 1-1.
Set 3
Utterback rose up for an emphatic solo block to even the score at 3-3 early in the third set before Lenn started to find her rhythm with a pair of kills to give the Aggies a four-point cushion, causing the hosts to call another timeout. Pacific quickly erased the deficit after another impressive comeback, making the score 11-11, forcing UCD into a timeout of its own.
Just like the first two sets, the third would be extremely tight down the stretch as the Tigers fought off two set points to even the score at 24-24. This time Pacific completed its comeback, taking a 2-1 lead in the match following the 26-24 win in a third set with 13 ties and four lead changes.
Set 4
Looking to close out the match, the Tigers took an early 10-5 lead in the fourth set. The Aggies were never able to click on the offensive end and the hosts would cruise to the 25-20 win to clinch the 3-1 victory in the match.
Up Next
The Ags take off for the dōTERRA Classic in Provo, Utah which begins with a match on Sept. 1 against McNeese State. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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