Despite the loss, UC Davis looks forward to the rest of their season
By (Krista Hajjar) — sports@theaggie.org
The UC Davis Aggies played another home game against the California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) Elbees on Sept. 26. UC Davis fought hard and won the first set, but Long Beach State fought back and ultimately won the game.
The Aggies were hoping to start strong with a lead in the game as they scored the first point of the set. However, the strong start was short-lived as the Elbees stole the lead. CSULB kept a distance of three to four points throughout the set, making it difficult for UC Davis to catch up to them — but that didn’t stop them. The Aggies put an end to the Elbees’ scoring at the 17th point when Jade Light, a third-year aeronautical engineering major, scored a service ace, placing the Aggies only a point behind with a score of 17-16.
UC Davis’ streak continued as Long Beach State missed a point, tying the match at 17-17. The rest of the first set was neck and neck with both teams ultimately remaining tied, at 21-21. The Aggies didn’t hesitate and continued to fight in the first set and ultimately finished with a victory block by Allie Caldwell, a second-year undeclared major, and Olivia Utterback, a fourth-year human development major.
The second set wasn’t as favorable to the Aggies as the first set. Within the first 15 points of the second set, the Elbees gained a six-point lead over the Aggies, making the score 10-4. UC Davis did their best to close the gap by scoring three points back to back, however, CSULB didn’t let them get too far ahead. Head Coach Dan Conners called multiple timeouts during the set, but even with the constant communication between coach and players, UC Davis took a loss during the second set with a final score of 25-15.
With set wins being tied 1-1, the Aggies stepped into the third set gaining a two-point lead from the Elbees. The lead was once again short-lived as Long Beach State managed to score four back-to-back points. Utterback then cut off their winning streak by scoring a point and keeping the gap down to a one-point lead in favor of the Elbees. Both teams were back to being neck and neck, until CSULB scored seven consecutive points, turning the score into a seven-point lead. While the Aggies tried their best to close the gap, the Elbees didn’t let up and swept the third set with a final score of 25-17.
The fourth set started off strong for the Aggies as they took the lead by scoring the first five points with two service aces from Light and two kills from Utterback. The Elbees quickly worked hard to close the gap and narrowed it down to another one-point difference. Both teams fought hard, and the game remained within a one-point difference until Long Beach State stole the lead within a few plays, creating another seven-point gap. Though UC Davis tried to come back, they eventually lost the fourth set 25-16, and the match went to CSULB.
Although UC Davis lost the match against Long Beach State, that doesn’t mean there weren’t any highlights from the players. Light achieved an UC Davis-high with a total of 12 kills, three service aces and 10 digs. Utterback was just behind Light in number of kills with 11 but also had two blocks and eight digs. Mia Starr, a second-year undeclared major, maintained the UC Davis offense with 33 assists, 11 digs and two kills. Lastly, Julie Ng, a fourth-year managerial economics major, ended the game with a match-high of 16 digs.
Head Coach Dan Conners shared his insight with UC Davis Athletics following the match.
“We didn’t have the best plan for their service, and I take responsibility for that,” Conners said. “We lost the serve and pass battle tonight, so it will be key to game plan for that better before we face them again. Wins and losses are all part of the journey, and you have to move on quickly and get ready for the next. So we will be ready for UC San Diego on Saturday.”
UC Davis went on to win against UC San Diego with a final set score of 3-0 and aim to turn this into a winning streak as the season progresses. The Aggies have had a dynamic start to their season and, despite the loss against Long Beach State, look forward to a season of strong competition and intense matches.
By (Krista Hajjar) — sports@theaggie.org
