LONG BEACH, Calif. — After a loss to No. 13 Hawai'i to open up the day, UC Davis beach volleyball took wins over Cal State Bakersfield and CSUN on Sunday, Mar. 22 to finish 3-3 at the Big West Challenge.

Score (Game One): UC Davis 1, Hawai'i 4
Records: UC Davis 4-12, Hawai'i 10-10
Score (Game Two): UC Davis 4, Cal State Bakersfield 1
Records: UC Davis 5-12, Cal State Bakersfield 5-14
Score (Game Three): UC Davis 3, CSUN 2
Records: UC Davis 6-12, CSUN 4-14
Location: Long Beach, Calif. (Rosie's Dog Beach)
 
THE RALLY

• Playing in the first flight against the BeachBows, Ella Erteltova and Kimi Waller took the Aggies only win to start the day, battling back from a 0-1 deficit.
• Waller and Erteltova opened the next game against the Roadrunners with another convincing win.
• The other three duos to take wins for CSUB needed three sets, but all closed things out to give the Aggies their second win of the weekend.
• The duos of Kaitlynn Chastain/Shelby Santos and Emma Johnson/Alexandra Leal traded blows with CSUN in the third match of the day, leading to a winner take all game in the fifth flight.
• Ava Berard and Kirra Martin teamed up in the fifth flight, taking set one 21-16.
• As the second set headed into extra points, the Matadors threatened to extend the game into a third. But Berard and Martin wrapped things up with a 25-23 win, helping give the Aggies a .500 record to end the Big West Challenge.

RESULTS
UC Davis 1, Hawai'i 4

1. Kimi Waller/Ella Erteltova (UCD) def. Julia Lawrenz/Izadora Stedile (HAW) 16-21, 23-21, 15-12
2. Sydney Miller/Caprice Lorenzo (HAW) def. Kinley Lindhardt/Anna Braun (UCD) 20-22, 21-13, 15-9
3. Julia Thelle/Sophie Buschmann (HAW) def. Skye Smolinski/Kate O'Steen (UCD) 21-17, 21-19
4. Emily Heintzelman/Kiera Cornman (HAW) def. Emma Johnson/Alexandra Leal (UCD) 23-21, 21-18
5. Sydney Amiatu/Sarah Burton (HAW) def. Ava Berard/Kirra Martin (UCD) 21-14, 21-12

Order of finish: 1, 5, 3, 4, 2

UC Davis 4, Cal State Bakersfield 1

1. Kimi Waller/Ella Erteltova (UCD) def. Erika Markentin/Oliv Silacci-Jensen (CSUB) 21-10, 21-13
2. Vivi Kaelin/Kendall Kaelin (CSUB) def. Kinley Lindhardt/Shelby Santos (UCD) 21-19, 20-22, 16-14
3. Emma Johnson/Alexandra Leal (UCD) def. Ella Ensign/Vianna Garcia (CSUB) 13-21, 21-15, 15-11
4. Skye Smolinski/Kate O'Steen (UCD) def. Havi Montano/Katey Milne (CSUB) 23-21, 21-11, 6-5
5. Ava Berard/Kirra Martin (UCD) def. Kylie Taylor/Olivia Ostler (CSUB) 21-17, 21-19

Order of finish: 1, 5, 4, 3, 2

UC Davis 3, CSUN 2

1. Hannah Heflin/Maleya Miles (CSUN) def. Kinley Lindhardt/Ella Erteltova (UCD) 25-27, 21-15, 18-16
2. Kaitlynn Chastain/Shelby Santos (UCD) def. Tia Mendiola/Zaria Henderson (CSUN) 21-17, 15-21, 15-11
3. Dylan Hall/Ava Rogers (CSUN) def. Skye Smolinski/Kate O'Steen (UCD) 19-21, 21-15, 15-11
4. Emma Johnson/Alexandra Leal (UCD) def. Jill Rodig/Ainsley Patrick (CSUN) 18-21, 21-8, 15-10
5. Ava Berard/Kirra Martin (UCD) def. Haley Coggins/Daysha Halbert (CSUN) 21-16, 25-23

Order of finish: 3, 4, 2, 1, 5

UP NEXT: UC Davis stays in SoCal for a pair of games on Tuesday, Mar. 24 when they head to Huntington Beach to take on Vanguard and Concordia Irvine. The match with the Lions will begin at 10:00 a.m. PT and the Aggies will face the Golden Eagles to finish the day at 12:00 p.m. PT.

ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS: 

UC Davis, ranked No. 2 among public universities by the Wall Street Journal in the value of a college degree, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked top in the United States 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/.