Teams: UC Davis vs. Cal State Fullerton; vs. Long Beach State
Records: Aggies, 16-8 (7-4); Titans 19-5 (8-2); 49ers 17-6 (7-3)
Where: The Pavilion
When: Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 7 p.m.
Who to watch: Sophomore Allison Whitson has been a dominating force for the Aggies at the net.
The outside hitter racked up 17 kills in each of UC Davis’ matches last weekend. The Palo Alto, Calif. native hit for a very efficient rate of .394 for the two games, committing just eight errors combined.
Did you know? The Aggies will need to win four of their last five games to reach the 20-win mark for the second straight season.
Preview: After Saturday’s heartbreaking, five-set loss at the hands of Cal State Northridge, UC Davis would probably want an easy match to get its confidence back up.
Unfortunately for the Aggies, there’s no such thing as an easy match in the Big West Conference.
UC Davis will play host to first place Cal State Fullerton and second place Long Beach State this weekend in arguably the two most important games of the season for the Aggies.
UC Davis currently sits in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Big West with UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. The three teams are a game and half behind the first place Titans.
Coach Jamie Holmes acknowledges how big this weekend is for UC Davis volleyball.
“How well we do in the Big West depends on how well we play down the stretch,” Holmes said. “This upcoming weekend will be huge.”
The Aggies matched up with the Titans and 49ers earlier in the season is the same weekend. UC Davis dropped both matches – a straight set sweep to Long Beach State and a five-set thriller against Cal State Fullerton.
Holmes believes the Aggies can end the weekend with one or possibly two wins, as long as they play smart, consistent volleyball.
“As always, we’ll need to be able to pass the ball,” Holmes said. “It’s all about being focused from the beginning to end of the match.”
– Jason Alpert
