BERKELEY, Calif. — UC Davis beach volleyball picked up its first Big West conference win of the season against Sacramento State in the opening day of the Battle for the Bay hosted by Cal on Friday, Feb. 27.

Score (Game One): UC Davis 3, Sacramento State 2
Records: UC Davis 2-3, Sacramento State 3-3
Score (Game Two): UC Davis 0, California 5
Records: UC Davis 2-4, California 3-4
Location: Berkeley, Calif. (Clark Kerr Sand Courts)
 
THE RALLY

• After the Aggies dropped the first two flights against the Hornets, Skye Smolinski and Kate O'Steen gutted out a close first game before dominating the second for the match victory.
• Kinley Lindhardt and Kirra Martin followed suite with another close victory in the opening game before an eight point win to secure another match for their team.
• Emma Johnson and Alexandra Leal helped give their team their second win of the season with identical 21-16 wins on the fifth flight.
• In the second game of the day against Cal, Gillinger and Steller won the second game in the second flight to push the Golden Bears to three, but would ultimately fall in the deciding set.

RESULTS

UC Davis 3, Sacramento State 2

1. Aurora Bibolotti/Victoria Marthaler (SAC) def. Kimi Waller/Ella Erteltova (UCD) 21-19, 12-21, 18-16
2. Ashlynn Archer/Reese Ampi (SAC) def. Morgan Gillinger/Kendal Steller (UCD) 22-20, 22-24, 15-13
3. Kate O'Steen/Skye Smolinski (UCD) def. Karlie Spohn/Greta Davis (SAC) 21-19, 21-12
4. Kinley Lindhardt/Kirra Martin (UCD) def. Mia Guevara/Kate Doorn (SAC) 21-19, 21-13
5. Emma Johnson/Alexandra Leal (UCD) def. Skyler Gartin/Mackenzie Natusch (SAC) 21-16, 21-16

UC Davis 0, California 5

1. Portia Sherman/Emma Donley (Cal) def. Kimi Waller/Ella Erteltova (UCD) 21-17, 21-12
2. Gia Fisher/Ava Haughy (Cal) def. Morgan Gillinger/Kendal Steller (UCD) 18-21, 21-15, 15-7
3. Amelia Vugrincic/Jenna Colligan (Cal) def. Kate O'Steen/Skye Smolinski (UCD) 21-19, 21-15
4. Marilu Pally/Grace Hong (Cal) def. Kinley Lindhardt/Kirra Martin (UCD) 21-13, 21-12
5. Elle Evers/Mila Yarich (Cal) def. Emma Johnson/Alexandra Leal (UCD) 21-19, 21-17

UP NEXT: The Aggies head across the Bay to Stanford to wrap up the weekend on Saturday, Feb. 28. The Aggies begin the day against No. 1 Stanford at 10:00 a.m. PT before wrapping up against Saint Mary's at 12:00 p.m. PT.

ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS: 

UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked No. 1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as No. 1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27. 

For more information, visit https://ucdavisaggies.com/.