The Aggies are starting off strong ahead of their upcoming fall season
By MEGAN JOSEPH — sports@theaggie.org
The last match of the UC Davis volleyball team’s non-conference games proved to be no trouble for the Aggies. After having some trouble in past games, the team was ecstatic to win against the Sacramento State Hornets and finish out the season with five wins and five losses considering all of the matches they played were away. The Aggies showed incredible teamwork all game that led them to take the victory over the Hornets.
The first set started off slow with the Hornets taking an early lead and the Aggies struggling to put up a large amount of points on the board. Once the first few aces and kills came, the Aggies got into a rhythm and won the first match 22-15.
Going into the second set, the Aggies were having a repeat of the first with the Hornets taking an early lead and the Aggies were a couple of points behind. This didn’t scare the Aggies as they took back the lead and won the second set 22-19.
The third set started off with trouble for the Aggies as they started to fall behind the Hornets. The Aggies lost their consistency and were producing very weak hitting statistics that allowed the Hornets to win the set. This forced the Aggies into a fourth and final set.
After the third set, the Aggies were ready for some revenge and came back harder. They played well, showing their determination and eagerness to win. It was the closest set of the entire match, but the Aggies pulled out a win with the final set ending 25-21.
Some of the best highlights of the match came from players on the UC Davis team. To start, third-year Olivia Utterback and second-year Jade Light each had three aces respectively that set the Aggies apart from the Hornets. Utterback continued her dominance in the match by leading the offense with third-year Amara Aimufa and getting ten kills, hitting a 0.229 and 0.269 respectively. Not only can she serve, but Utterback also showed she can dive by getting 12 digs, demonstrating how well-rounded a player she can be.
Light had a truly inspiring performance as well with eight kills, three aces and nine digs all in one night. In the libero position, third-year Julia Ng also had a good performance with a personal record of 17 digs that gave the Aggies the upper hand over the Hornets. In a different position of the court, third-year Casi Newman had a phenomenal number of assists, reaching 20 in total from all the sets. Only a small number of other people on the team have done this in four sets.
First-year new players Mia Starr and Reese Diersbock finished their first non-conference season strong. Starr showed her ability to be a team player by getting 17 assists, while Diersbock demonstrated her skill in the game by getting nine kills and six digs. Overall, the Aggies had a strong performance that led to them being victorious after only playing four sets.
The Aggies had a hard game but stayed persistent and played harder after each challenge, providing a good outlook for the rest of their season.
Written by: Megan Joseph — sports@theaggie.org
