UC Davis Athletics

Score: UC Davis 3, Northern Colorado 1
Location: Greeley, Colo. (Bank Of Colorado Arena)
Records: UC Davis 1-1, Northern Colorado 0-1

GREELEY, Colo. — A career-high 19 kills from Brooke Hibino led UC Davis volleyball to its first victory of the season, beating Northern Colorado in four sets on Saturday, Aug. 29.

FIRST SERVE

• Hibino's 19 kills broke her previous career best of 18, set in a five-set thriller last season against UC Santa Barbara.
• The other double digit killer for the Aggies was freshman Isabella Umpierre, who broke 13 kills in just her second collegiate match.
• Umpierre was excellent in other aspects of the game as well, collecting three total blocks and nine digs, coming one away from a double-double.
• Fellow freshman Khloe Wong was deadly on the serve, racking up four service aces.
• The serving from the Aggies was adept all around, collecting 12 total aces, including three from Ally Chandler and two from Rachel Dunagan.
• A night after surpassing 3,000 career assists, Mia Starr turned in another excellent performance on the setting line, collecting 39 assists.

WHAT HEAD COACH DAN CONNERS HAD TO SAY

"It took us a set to find our rhythm and start playing the way we train, but once we did, the game really came together for us. Our serving was excellent offensively. We were playing much more aggressively than we did last night. Still a long way to go, but we're making good progress."

 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

• After seeing the home team rattle off the first five points of the match, the Aggies saw Hibino collect the first two kills of the night, pushing them as close as 7-8 early.
• An ace from Starr would keep the deficit at one a few points later, but a 6-2 halfway through the first set put the Bears up as much as six.
• With the score reading 22-17 in favor of UNC, Hibino looked to spark her offense with another pair of kills, but Northern Colorado would close it out with a 25-20 win to take set one.
• The Aggies began much faster in set two, with a service ace from Wong creating an early 7-3 advantage.
• Starr began to spread the wealth, giving the ball to Chandler and Gianna Bogan for kills, but a 13-8 Aggie lead was quickly wiped out with a 5-0 run from the Bears.
• As both teams traded blows down to the wire, the road team held a slim 22-20 lead. But thanks to the service and passing of Starr, the Aggies tied the match at one set apiece with three easy points, capped off by a kill from Allie Caldwell.
• Davis carried the momentum from set two into the next, scoring six of the third's first seven points before an ace from Chandler forced Northern Colorado into a timeout.
• As the frame progressed, UNC would slowly chip into the Aggie lead, getting as close as five at the halfway point of the set.
• But the Ags were unfettered, as a pair of aces from Wong along with kills from Hibino and Bogan capped off a 6-1 run late.
• Up 23-15, a rally from Umpierre gave her team a 2-1 lead heading into set number four.
• Down 5-7 early in the fourth, the Davis freshmen showed up big, with Umpierre and Bogan orchestrating a 5-0 run to build a 10-7 lead.
• Not to be outdone, the veterans would step up in a big way on the next Aggie run, marking off seven straight points highlighted by an ace from Dunagan and a pair of kills and block from Chandler.
• On the doorstep of victory, UC Davis held off another run from their opponent through a block from Hibino before watching her secure her career-high 19th kill.
• With the score 24-18 for the Ags, Bogan put an exclamation mark on the night with her fourth kill, securing a 3-1 victory and the first for Davis in their Mountain West era.

UP NEXT: The Aggies finish the weekend back in Fort Collins for a neutral site match with No. 11 SMU on Sunday, Aug. 30. First serve is set for 12:00 pm PT, and the match will be streamed live on the Pac-12 YouTube channel.

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 #1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as #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/.