LOS ANGELES, Calif. – It was another five-set contest for the Aggies in the final game of the Trojan Invitational but this time they held on for the win, snapping a four-game skid to get back in the win column.
UC Davis dominated the first two sets before Marist came roaring back to snatch sets three and four to force a decisive fifth. Behind sparkling performances from
Olivia Utterback,
Reese Diersbock, and
Amara Aimufua, the Aggies would win the last set in convincing fashion to solidify the victory.
Utterback matched her season-high with 17 kills on a .406 hitting percentage, but came up big on the defensive end as well, racking up 14 digs.
Diersbock and Aimufua also reached double-digits with 14 kills apiece, with the pair delivering some big points in the final set.
The setting duo of
Casi Newman and
Mia Starr each eclipsed the 20-assist mark for the second straight match. The two setters each reached their season-high, with Newman posting 27 and Starr tallying 23.
Set 1
Three quick kills from Diersbock helped open an 11-5 lead in the first frame for UC Davis. Marist replied, however, with a 4-0 scoring run to cut the advantage to just two points to force a timeout from the Aggie bench. It was a well-timed stoppage for UC Davis as Aimufua caught fire with two kills before Newman delivered an ace to restore the lead.
The Red Foxes managed to whittle the lead to one point before
Mia Starr checked in and produced two momentum-swinging aces to create some separation down the stretch. This sparked an 8-0 run to close the first set and the Aggies would clinch the 25-16 victory.
Set 2
Starr continued to impress at the service line with a pair of aces to start the second set, propelling the Aggies to an 8-3 lead and forcing an early Marist timeout.
Jade Light got involved with her first kill of the match to extend the lead to eight points (15-7) before adding a couple more to put the Aggies out of sight. UC Davis really started to click offensively, hitting .550 in the second set while committing just one attack error to earn a dominant 25-9 win, the largest margin of victory in set this season.
Set 3
The Red Foxes started on the front foot in the third set, racing to a 5-1 advantage. UC Davis had the perfect response to the slow start, using a 5-0 scoring run to take the lead. The third frame would go back-and-forth until Utterback slammed down her ninth kill of the match to put the Aggies back out in front.
The third set would go to deuce, but Marist just edged out the 28-26 win to send the match to a fourth frame.
Set 4
Marist carried that momentum into the fourth set, rallying for a 16-10 lead in set number four. The Aggies were unable to overcome the deficit and the match would go to a fifth set for the second straight day.
Set 5
UC Davis turned to their star outside hitter, Utterback, who banged three consecutive kills to give the Aggies the lead in the final set. She continued by picking up her fourth kill of the frame before Starr notched her fifth ace, extending the lead to 6-1.
The Ags made sure to close things out convincingly, finishing the match on a 5-0 run, punctuating the win with two service aces from Light.
Up Next
The Ags will take on Causeway rivals Sacramento State for a midweek matchup on Sept. 12 in the capital city. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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