Head Coach Daniel Connors and outside hitter Jade Light comment on the season’s success
By COLINA HARVEY — sports@theaggie.org
This season’s women’s volleyball team has made its mark on UC Davis athletics with their historic 10-game winning streak. The team boasts an impressive 0.917 winning percentage thus far, having won all but one of their conference matches. Their home games are high-energy, with fans on their feet cheering for the team.
“We have a group of women that are very bought into our team culture. We have some great leadership and a team that’s setting a good direction for the group,” Head Coach Daniel Conners said.
Fourth-year outside hitter and aerospace science and engineering major Jade Light expressed a similar sentiment.
“We’re really comfortable when we’re out there together, and everyone has each other’s backs with a deep sense of love,” Light said, attributing the team’s success to their chemistry. “Our offense is very balanced, and so it’s hard for teams to set up a defense for us, because they can’t just camp on one player. They have to be ready for all three positions to attack you, maybe even four.”
On Oct. 23, the Aggies beat UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) in a thrilling five-set match, notching their 10th win in a row. The first set was extremely close, with four set points. The Gauchos ended up taking the first set, with a final score of 28-26, leaving the Aggies trailing.
In the second set, UC Davis built up a large lead, comfortably taking the set 25-10.
The third set was very close throughout; however, the Gauchos managed to snag the win.
The fourth set displayed the Aggies’ perseverance and grit when playing with their backs against the wall. Once again, the set was neck-and-neck to start. UCSB managed to gain a bit of separation and lead the set 19-16. Towards the end, the Gauchos held the momentum, forcing the Aggies to work hard for every point. UCSB increased their lead to 24-20, creating a match point and putting maximum pressure on the Aggies. However, the Aggies were determined to stay in the game.
Back-to-back kills by third-year international relations major Breeze Czapinski held off the Gauchos. Then, a kill by Light brought the score to 23-24, with the Gauchos leading. An error by the Gauchos tied the game up, and a service ace by third-year sociology major Rachel Dunagan gave the lead to the Aggies. With the game attendees at the edges of their seats, a kill by Light won the set for the Aggies, keeping the UC Davis team in the game.
“The best thing about this team is we don’t give up. We have a lot of fight. That’s one of our strengths. And so that really came out in the fourth set,” Light said. “We executed the game plan point-for-point, until the end.”
In the fifth set, the Aggies kept their winning momentum and finished off the Gauchos with a final score of 15-8.
The game featured strong offensive performances by a number of players on the UC Davis team. Third-year biological sciences major Brooke Hibino and Czapinski both recorded 18 kills, with Light recording 16.
In their next game on Oct. 28, The Aggies did not fare as well; during their stop to San Luis Obispo, the California Polytechnic University Mustangs were able to snap the Aggies’ 10-game winning streak. Even though the Aggies won the first set, Cal Poly managed to lead for the whole second set and crushed the Aggies in the third, taking the game.
“We typically are a very aggressive team, but we didn’t play that way [against Cal Poly],” Light said.
Conners added on the differences between this game against Cal Poly and previous ones.
“I think we learned a lot from that match. I think we were not quite on our job assignments, both offensively and defensively,” Conners said. “[In the future], I think if we’re doing a better job of executing, we’ll make it a much more competitive match.”
Despite the loss, Light managed to hit the 1000 career kills mark during the match, becoming only the 13th player in Aggie history to do so.
“I’m trying to live in the moment because that is really just it; this is my fourth year at the program, and that happens to people who play for four years,” Light said. “So I’m really grateful that it happened, but I’m trying to stay in the moment and stay focused on the next game.”
The Aggies bounced back from their loss with a comfortable win over UC Riverside at home on Oct. 28. Davis crushed Riverside in the first set, winning by a 25-11 margin. Although Riverside was more competitive in the next two sets, the Aggies still won in straight sets. Third-year human development major Ally Chandler and Light both hit double-digit kills.
On Oct. 30, the UC Davis women’s volleyball team faced the University of Hawai’i in another home game. The Aggies took the first set, and the Rainbow Warriors tied the game up with a win in the second set. Throughout the duration of the third set, both teams traded points until an error by Hawai’i put Davis ahead two sets to one. In the fourth set, the Aggies were able to pull away and maintain a lead. They eventually won the set 25-20, defeating the Rainbow Warriors. Light recorded an impressive 19 kills — the most of any player in the match.
The Aggies will be on the road for four games before returning home for their last two games of the season. After the regular season wraps up, they will prepare for the Big West championship; the team hopes to make a statement in the postseason and potentially reach the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament.
“I think every day [it’s] just coming in the gym and having the same attitude to get 1% better every day and sticking together with the hard times and enjoying the highs,” Light said. “The season gets long, so not letting the grind stop and not getting complacent with where we are [is important].”
Written by: Colina Harvey — sports@theaggie.org
