FULLERTON, Calif. – In a Big West Conference opener that featured just about everything, UC Davis battled back from two sets down to complete the reverse sweep, winning three straight frames to down Cal State Fullerton on Friday night inside Titan Gym.
"It was about finding our rhythm," said Head Coach
Dan Conners. "We've been off for 10 days and sometimes you lose rhythm, but we stayed steady and came out with some tenacity in the third set. As much as we struggled early, some things opened up for us later in the match. Olivia [Utterback} stayed determined and started to take over. Jade [Light] had a really solid night. She made some errors, but bounced back well and had a great attacking night. I hope tonight just gives us confidence that when we play our style of game, we can dominate."
Three Aggies finished in double figures in what became an outstanding offensive performance.
Olivia Utterback impressed yet again with her game-high 16 kills at a .378 clip, but also got it done on the defensive end with her 11 digs and four block assists.
Amara Aimufua enjoyed her best game of 2023, posting a season-high 15 kills, while
Jade Light knocked down 13 kills at an efficient .300 while snuffing out 13 digs defensively.
Casi Newman and
Mia Starr both went over 20 assists for the third time this season with Newman leading the way with 29 while Starr handed out 21 on the night.
"It was about forgetting first two sets and just focusing on us," Newman said. "We did a good job executing game plan and started working better as a team. We started to play aggressive on our side. Mentally it's a good place to be in after that win, just knowing that we can't come into matches lightly. We're feeling good after that win, really good."
Set 1
The hosts raced to an early 3-1 lead before a thunderous kill from Utterback followed by an emphatic block from
Ally Chandler evened things up. Light got in on the action with back-to-back kills but a 5-1 scoring run allowed Cal State Fullerton to extend its lead to six points at the halfway mark in the opening set, forcing a UC Davis timeout.
The Aggies were unable to slow the momentum and the Titans would run away with the first set, 25-20.
Set 2
Two freshman got UC Davis started in the second set when Chandler stuffed a Titan attack before
Mia Starr delivered a service ace to give the Aggies an early advantage. Despite the fast start, Cal State Fullerton found its rhythm yet again to win set number two 25-21 and take take a two-set lead in the match.
The Aggies rallied to claw within two points but hit just .049 in the set, unable to get things going on the offensive end.
Set 3
The two teams would go back-and-forth in the early stages of the third frame, battling to a 15-15 scoreline. UC Davis rallied for four straight points, using kills from Chandler, Aimufua, and Light to build an advantage in the must-win set.
However, the hosts would use a well-timed timeout to regroup and post a scoring run of their own to whittle the lead to one point. The Aggies responded well with their backs against the wall and managed to hold on for the 25-19 win to force a fourth set.
Set 4
The Aggies managed an early advantage in the fourth set behind kills from Light and Chandler. Utterback slammed home a massive kill to get her team back in rhythm, extending the lead to 11-8 in another important stretch for UC Davis.
Utterback started to catch fire in the fourth set, racking up six kills to lead her team to the 25-17 win, sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
Set 5
Cal State Fullerton struck first in the final set, jumping out to a 6-4 lead to gain an edge. UC Davis replied with back-to-back points to level the score at 6-6 and after the Titans momentarily restored their lead, Light came up with a huge block to tie things up yet again.
It was all Aggies the rest of the way, as Light continued her excellent night with a pair of kills before Aimufua knocked down a pair of her own to force the match point, which
Shkhinah Tindsley slammed home to complete the comeback, solidifying the five-set victory.
Up Next
The Ags complete the first weekend of conference play tomorrow afternoon when they take on UC Irvine. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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