Score: UC Davis 3, UC Santa Barbara 1
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Galen Center)
Records: UC Davis 4-7, UC Santa Barbara 4-6
LOS ANGELES — UC Davis volleyball finished the 2026 non-conference season on Saturday, Sept. 19 in a four set win over former league foe UC Santa Barbara.
FIRST SERVE
- The offense was a balanced attack with six different players having seven or more kills. Isabella Umpierre led the way with 13 on the afternoon.
- Umpierre was also deadly on the serve, collecting three aces for the most in a game so far in her career.
- Ally Chandler and Allie Caldwell were close behind with 10 kills each, rounding out the double-digit attackers for the Aggies.
- For Caldwell, it was her first contest this season she's collected 10 or more kills.
- 35 assists and 10 digs gave Mia Starr a double-double for the third straight game.
- Defensively, the Aggies were on fire throughout the match with 17 total blocks. Starr and Chandler led the way with six each.
WHAT HEAD COACH DAN CONNERS HAD TO SAY
"Today was a step in the right direction. Execution was higher. We played much more like a team."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Starting the match with service, Umpierre got the first kill of the afternoon from Ximena Cordero Barr.
- As both clubs matched points to begin set one, Rachel Dunagan used an ace to help spark a 5-1 run.
- The scoring runs continued for the Aggies as they continued to pull away from their opponent, with kills by Umpierre and Chandler putting them up by as much as 10.
- A kill by Caldwell capped off a 25-15 set one victory.
- After taking a 3-1 run to begin the second, UC Santa Barbara flipped the script with an early 4-0 run to take a lead.
- Davis would tie it up at eight, but the Gauchos would continue to pull away on small scoring runs to go up as much as six.
- Late kills from Caldwell and Starr weren't enough as Santa Barbara would take set two 25-18 and tie things at one apiece.
- Tied at 13 halfway through the third, Ana Stojanovic elevated for a kill off a ball from Starr.
- A kill from Chandler and blocks from Caldwell and Starr put the team up three, but the Gauchos would bounce back with a 5-0 run to retake the lead.
- Both teams would rally off one run each, with the Aggies getting the edge on a 5-1 run capped off by a block from Chandler and Starr to clinch a 25-22 win and take a 2-1 lead.
- The offensive momentum continued into the fourth, with a kill from Chandler helping put them up 5-2 early.
- Umpierre led the attack with seven kills in the fourth, including an attack that put them up seven late.
- Following another kill by Stojanovic, Umpierre stepped up to the service line at match point. As she served, she dropped in her third ace to ice the 25-17 win and the team's fourth victory of the season.
UP NEXT: Davis will open its first Mountain West Conference weekend down in Las Vegas on Sept. 24 and 26 against UNLV. Action will begin on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6:00 pm PT. The match will be streamed live on MW+.
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/.
