Aggies improve to 5-3 with victories over Pacific and San José
By LUCIENNE BROOKER — sports@theaggie.org
After starting the 2025 season at home, UC Davis beach volleyball went on the road for their first stretch of away games. The Battle of the Bay, held from Feb. 28 to March 1, saw the team face off against four formidable opponents and walk away with two wins and two losses. With one set of games in Berkeley and the other in San José, it was a weekend full of travel for the Aggies.
Starting in Berkeley, the Aggies were able to claim a hard-fought victory in their first matchup of the day. Facing off against the University of the Pacific, the Aggies came out strong and took home a 4-1 win. Tabitha Mitchell, a fourth-year animal science major, and Lindsay Heller, a fourth-year communications major, won the first match easily, winning 21-10 and 21-14.
Although Pacific was able to tie up the score in the next round, the golden pairing of Kate O’Steen, a third-year human development major, and Alexandra Leal, a second-year environmental engineering major, continued their winning streak and put the Aggies back in the lead. O’Steen and Leal have yet to be defeated this season. Two more matches carried the Aggies to their 4-1 victory and, after a brief celebration, it was time to regroup for the second game of the day.
It was a quick turnaround, with the second game starting almost immediately after the conclusion of the first. The Aggies showed some fatigue straight away in the first set, with UC Berkeley, on the other hand, ready to put on a dominant performance. The Aggies lost all five games, losing all but one set in the entire tournament. Juliana Chapman, a second-year undeclared major, and Kaitlyn Smyth, a second-year computer science major, were the only pairing able to score any points against Berkeley. They won the first set of their match 21-17 but were not able to rally any further as Berkeley completed their clean sweep.
Despite the tough loss, UC Davis had to get back on the court the next morning for their second set of two matches, this time against Saint Mary’s College of California and San José State University. First up was St. Mary’s, where the Aggies were unable to break their losing streak. After losing the first two matches of the game, O’Steen and her new partner, Anna Braun, a third-year viticulture and enology major, were able to claim the first win. They defeated the St. Mary’s pair in two sets.
Although St. Mary’s won the next set, UC Davis had one more chance to find success on the court in the last set. Skye Smolinski, a second-year design major, and Mia Olen, a fourth-year environmental policy analysis and planning major, defeated St. Mary’s, bringing the final score to 2-3 between the schools. Despite the disappointing result, the Aggies were invigorated by their strong showing heading into the final game of the weekend.
Once again, they had to come from behind to find any success. Despite not winning their first match, San José took the next two, leaving the Aggies scrambling for control. Smolinski and Olen won their match in two sets by large margins, 21-11 and 21-14, tying up the score heading into the final match of the day. Finally, Chapman and Smyth were able to squeak out a very narrow win in the third set. After each team had won one set 21-19, the Aggies found a second win and won the game-winning third set 15-5.
The Aggies had some time off before going on the road again. Following these matchups, they took on four highly ranked teams, including San José State University in San Luis Obispo on March 15 and 16, which was won 4-1, marking the lead-up to Big West Conference play.
Written by: Lucienne Brooker — sports@theaggie.org
