PROVO, Utah – UC Davis returned to its winning ways with a 3-1 (25-10, 20-25, 25-14, 25-16) victory over McNeese State in the first game of the dōTERRA Classic.
The Aggies posted a season best hitting percentage of .255 in a terrific offensive showing on Friday evening.
Olivia Utterback led the way with a team-high 12 kills while hitting at a .290 clip. The junior also did some work on the defensive end with eight digs.
Amara Aimufua delivered a solid all-around performance with eight kills on a .294 percentage, snuffing out three digs and registering three block assists.
Casi Newman registered her third game of the season with 20 or more assists while tallying two service aces and seven digs. Also impressing at setter was
Mia Starr, who finished just one dig shy of her first career double-double in a terrific 16 assist, nine-dig showing.
Set 1
Two quick kills from Utterback allowed UC Davis to take a 6-2 lead early in the opening set.
Megan Lenn got involved with three kills of her own following a McNeese timeout, extending the lead to 13-6. The Aggies had no problem finding some rhythm, hitting an outstanding .429 to comfortably take the first set 25-10, their largest margin of victory in a set so far this season.
It was a near-perfect set for the Ags as they nearly went the entire set without committing an attack error. McNeese State did not enjoy the same fortune, hitting on the wrong side of zero (-.174) in a tough set for the Cowgirls.
Set 2
After a back-and-forth start to the second set, McNeese State started to pull away when a 6-0 run gave the Cowgirls a 21-16 lead. The Aggies fought off five set points, but the deficit was too much to overcome, and the match would draw level at 1-1 when McNeese State took set two 25-20.
Set 3
UC Davis returned to form in the third set, quickly grabbing a 6-2 lead behind kills from Utterback,
Ally Chandler, and
Reese Diersbock.
Julia Ng unleashed three consecutive aces to create an eight-point cushion (19-11). After taking set three 25-14, the Ags found themselves up 2-1 in the match with a chance to close things out.
The Aggies' All-Big West recipient started to take over in the third set knocking down four kills while delivering two aces. Rhythm returned to the UC Davis offense, posting a hitting percentage of .250 in the set.
Set 4
UC Davis trailed early in the fourth set but stormed back to take a 7-6 advantage following a 3-0 scoring run. Another big scoring run, this time 5-0, allowed the Aggies to build a 12-6 lead. The Cowgirls clawed within three, but following a timeout, Aimufua banged a huge kill before Lenn came up with a crucial ace to get the team back on track.
A service ace from Newman would punctuate the four-set win for UC Davis as the Aggies would win the final set 25-16 to begin their trip to Provo with a victory.
Up Next
The Ags conclude the dōTERRA Classic in Provo, Utah tomorrow night against #9 BYU. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT.
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