Score: UC Davis 3, UC Santa Barbara 2
Set Scores: (26-28, 25-10, 24-26, 26-24, 15-8)
Location: Davis, Calif. (University Credit Union Center)
Records: UC Davis 13-4 (9-0), UC Santa Barbara 14-7 (6-3)
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The short story: Career-highs from
Brooke Hibino and
Breeze Czapinski led UC Davis volleyball to a five-set win over UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Oct. 23. Ten straight wins give the Aggies their longest winning streak since 2011.
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FIRST SERVE
- Now sitting at the halfway point of conference play, the Aggies remain the only team in The Big West undefeated at 9-0, with a loss by Long Beach State earlier tonight giving the team a two-game lead over second place in the conference.
- Ten wins in a row marks the longest winning streak the Aggies have had since the 2011 season, when they went 21-10, the last time the team won 20+ matches in a season.
- Hibino and Czapinski tied for a team-high 18 kills, with both players achieving new career highs in the category.
- 54 assists from Mia Starr marked the first time this season that the junior has put up 50+ assists in a match this season. Starr also achieved 2,500 career assists tonight.
- Nine block assists and one solo block by Allie Caldwell set a new career-high 10 total blocks.
- Hibino and Czapinski were close behind with six and five blocks, respectively. 27 total blocks by the Aggies held UC Santa Barbara to a .190 hitting percentage on the night.
- For just the fourth time this season, Ximena Cordero Barr has collected 20+ digs in a match, protecting the backline with 24 digs on the night.
WHAT HEAD COACH DAN CONNERS HAD TO SAY
"This team has so much courage, guts, and resilience. It's so much fun to be a part of a group that wants to be great and is never going to give up. It doesn't matter what the score is; they're going to keep pushing and keep going. They kept playing one point at a time, and they were awesome tonight."
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HOW IT HAPPENEDÂ
- The back-and-forth battle began in the first set with a service ace by Cordero Barr, setting the tone early.
- Through the first half of set one, the Aggies held the advantage, with a kill by Jade Light getting her team to a 15-10 advantage.
- Coming out of the media timeout, the Gauchos went on the attack, scoring five straight to tie things up at 18 apiece.
- With things knotted at 23 late, Ally Chandler took a kill to put her team on the brink, but UCSB responded with two straight to send the set to extras.Â
- The Aggies fought hard, but would eventually fall 26-28, seeing the Gauchos take a 1-0 lead.
- Set two was all Davis, with service from Cordero Barr leading the team to a 10-2 lead to start things off.
- UC Santa Barbara looked to even things with a 4-1 run, but the Aggie avalanche continued with back-to-back kills from Hibino, highlighting a 9-0 run.
- Two quick kills from Czapinski finished things off in the second, giving her team a 25-10 victory and tying the match 1-1.
- The third set began similarly to the first, with UCSB holding a slim 15-13 lead at the halfway mark.
- A service ace from Haden Bones highlighted long rallies for the Aggies, but the team would fall two points short, 24-26, and fall to a 1-2 deficit.
- Up 16-14 halfway through the fourth set, Davis saw their opponent go on a 5-0 run to take a late lead, 19-16.
- Back-to-back kills from the Gauchos put them on the brink of victory, 24-20, before a kill from Czapinski would give the Ags service.
- With Rachel Dunagan on the serving line, her team climbed all the way back with another Czapinski kill, a Light kill, and a block from Caldwell and Czapinski, tying up the set at 24 apiece.
- After a Dunagan ace gave the Aggies the lead, another kill from Light gave her team a 26-24 victory, forcing things into a decisive fifth set.
- Coming into set five, Davis kept their momentum rolling by taking the first three points on their way to an early 8-5 lead.
- After switching sides of the court, the Gauchos kept it close, taking advantage of an error to come within one, 8-9.
- But the last six points of the match belonged to the home team, with Hibino capping off her career night to give UC Davis the 15-8 and 3-2 win.
UP NEXT: UC Davis takes a quick trip south to face off against Cal Poly on Saturday, Oct. 25. First serve is set for 1:00 p.m. PT and will be live for fans to watch on ESPN+.
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