Score: UC Davis 3, UC Santa Barbara 1
Set Scores: (25-23, 23-25, 29-27, 27-25)
Location: Long Beach, Calif. (LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid)
Records: UC Davis 21-6, UC Santa Barbara 23-9
  
The short story: A season-high 21 digs and 40 assists from Mia Starr elevated UC Davis volleyball to a Big West Semifinals victory over UC Santa Barbara on Friday, Nov. 28. The Aggies are now set to battle for Big West supremacy on Saturday.
 
FIRST SERVE

• 21 digs from Starr not only sets a season-high for the junior but also puts her one away from her career-high of 22, which she set last season against Washington State.
• 40 assists from the setter also puts her at 40+ in a match for the 11th time this season. Tonight marked double-double number nine on the year.
• Starr was also dominant on the front net, tying a team-high four total blocks with Ally Chandler and Allie Caldwell.
• Jade Light led the offense with 15 kills on the night. Brooke Hibino was close behind with 13 kills.
• Light also collected a double-double with 10 digs, her 11th of the year.
• The Aggie defense remained strong all night with 73 total digs for the team. In addition to Starr and Light, Ximena Cordero Barr, Haden Bones, and Rachel Dunagan also hit double-digits. Cordero Barr had 16 digs, Bones had 12, and Dunagan had 10.
• It was a back-and-forth battle all night long, with two of four sets needing extras to be decided.

WHAT HEAD COACH DAN CONNERS HAD TO SAY

"It was a battle from the start. I thought that Santa Barbara did some really good things. Their block was tough to figure out, and a lot of credit to their effort tonight. I think overall we had to find some creative ways to score, and when it came down to the end of sets, we were able to get a point or two that pushed us over the edge."

 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

• The Aggies started the match strong, with a block from Caldwell and Breeze Czapinski getting the first point of the night on the way to a 5-3 advantage.
• But the Gauchos responded with a 5-0 run, building a 13-9 lead before a 4-0 scoring run from their opponents tied the set up at 13.
• Both teams went back-and-forth into the red zone, with Davis holding a slim 23-19 advantage late.
• After a pair of points from UCSB, a kill from Chandler put the Aggies on the precipice of victory before two quick ones from Eva Travis for the Gauchos put them within one.
• Chandler got another one on the board, giving her team the 25-23 win.
• Set two saw Santa Barbara start fast, running out to a 4-0 and 13-8 lead early.
• Taking advantage of errors from their opponent, Davis would get back within one, 18-19, as the set entered the red zone.
• Despite kills from Czapinski and Chandler, the Gauchos would claim the second set 25-23 and tie the match at one game apiece.
• The third frame started similar to the first, with an ace from Light giving Davis an early 8-5 lead before UCSB went on the attack for seven straight.
• The Aggies retooke the lead on a 5-0 run led by three kills from Victoria Vanos and a pair of aces from Chandler.
• The back-and-forth affair continued late. With the Ags up 24-21 and on the brink of the win, Santa Barbara would send the set to extras with four straight.
• Both teams would continue to battle, but the Aggies would come out on top with a 29-27 win and a 2-1 advantage.
• With over 20 ties and neither team taking more than a three point lead, set four was a battle all the way to the end.
• Tied at 24 apiece, a double block from the Gauchos put them on the brink of forcing a fifth set, forcing extras for the second straight game.
• After seeing an error and an attack from Hibino, another error from Santa Barbara spelled the end of the match, securing a 27-25 win and a 3-1 victory for the Aggies.

UP NEXT: The Aggies now await the winner of the other Big West Semifinal between Long Beach State and Cal Poly before battling for a spot in the NCAA Tournament in the Big West Finals on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 5:00 p.m. PT. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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