Score: UC Davis 2, Washington State 3
Set Scores: 16-25, 25-14, 25-23, 14-25, 13-15
Location: Seattle, Wash.
Records: UC Davis 4-3, Washington State 4-3
The short story: Rallying back after dropping the first set, UC Davis' comeback efforts fell just short Saturday night as the Aggies lost in a five-set thriller, 3-2, to Washington State in their first matchup of the Husky Invitational.
FIRST SERVE
- Sophomore setter Mia Starr delivered an impressive performance for the Aggies, recording 40 assists and 22 digs, marking her first 20-20 game of the season
- Junior outside hitter Jade Light spearheaded the UC Davis offense for the second consecutive match, leading the Aggies with 16 kills
- Senior Olivia Utterback and sophomore Reese Diersbock also contributed double-digit kills, with 12 and 10 respectively
- Utterback and Light additionally recorded double-digit digs
- Senior libero Julia Ng concluded the five-set match with 21 digs
- The Aggies achieved a season-high with 92 digs on the night
- The back-and-forth battle between UC Davis and Washington State was evident as both teams totaled 50 kills
HOW IT HAPPENED
- In the first set, Washington State came out strong, delivering three service aces and securing five of the last seven points to clinch the set 25-16, taking an early 1-0 lead
- UC Davis responded by winning the next two sets to gain a 2-1 advantage
- The second set was UC Davis' standout performance of the night, led by the trio of Light, Utterback, and Diersbock
- Light and Diersbock each tallied four kills in the second set, with Light sealing the set victory at 25-14
- UC Davis maintained control in the third set, with their serving game proving decisive
- Utterback recorded one of her two service aces early in the set, while a Washington State service error concluded the set, giving UC Davis a 25-23 win
- The fourth set saw Washington State dominate much like how the Aggies did in the second, securing a 25-14 win to level the match at 2-2
- In the fifth and final set, the Aggies trailed early on, but rallied to take a 9-8 advantage, prompting a timeout from the Cougars
- The Cougars responded with two points post-timeout to regain the lead, forcing UC Davis to call a timeout of their own
- The Aggies then scored two consecutive points, bringing the score to 13-12
- However, Washington State didn't allow the Aggies momentum to keep on flowing, as the Cougars captured the final three points unanswered, winning the set 15-13 and the match 3-2
NEXT UP: UC Davis will conclude their time at the Husky Invitational tomorrow afternoon, taking on the Washington Huskies at 2 p.m. with action being live streamed on Big Ten Plus.
