Score: UC Davis 3, UC Irvine 1
Set Scores: (20-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-20)
Location: Irvine, Calif. (Bren Events Center)
Records: UC Davis 19-9 (1-0), UC Irvine 16-14 (0-1)
The short story: The Aggies opened up the 2024 Outrigger Big West Women's Volleyball Championship with a four-set win over the host school UC Irvine, setting the stage for a Friday matchup against Hawai'i.
FIRST SERVE
Olivia Utterbeck led the offense for Davis with 19 kills. She also posted four service aces in the match.
Mia Starr logged another 40+ assist game, collecting 47.
Allie Caldwell was solid all-around, bringing down six kills and posting four blocks.
Julia Ng (18),
Mia Starr (13), and Light (11) each had double-digit digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both teams came out strong, keeping things close as Irvine held a slim 15-13 lead at the media timeout.
- On the other side of the break, the Anteaters held serve, responding to each Aggie point with a kill of their own, eventually taking set one 25-20.
- In the second, Davis began to attack, rattling off an early 5-0 run and a 10-2 run later on to hold a dominating 19-10 lead.
- Irvine looked to respond by trading kills with their opponent, but a balanced offense from Olivia Utterback, Jade Light, and Reese Diersbock held the Anteaters to only 15 points in the set as the Aggies tied up the match at one game apiece.
- Set number three started the same as the first, with things tied up at 11 near the halfway point of the set.
- A few points later, with Irvine holding a 13-12 lead, both offenses came alive. The Aggies started with a 4-0 scoring run, followed by the Anteaters rattling off four straight.
- With the score tied at 22, Light came alive again, scoring the last three for her team to give them a 25-22 win and a 2-1 lead.
- The fourth set featured another strong start for the Aggies, giving them an early 11-6 lead.
- But Irvine refused to back down, taking a timeout and rallying back to tie the game at 14. As both teams exchanged points, the Anteaters took their first lead of the set 19-18.
- With momentum shifting to the other team, Davis started to attack, using the service of Ximena Cordero Barr to knock off five straight points.
- Irvine responded with a quick kill, but the rally proved too much as the Aggies would take the fourth 25-20 and win the match 3-1.
UP NEXT: The Aggies will have an extra day off from competition before stepping up to take on the number two seed, Hawai'i on Friday, Nov. 29. The match is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. PT.
