Sports

Playing on the road under inclement weather against a Pacific-10 opponent made this past weekend a challenging one for UC Davis baseball. In the end, the Aggies came away satisfied.

"Whenever you go on the road, especially to a place like Washington, and come away with a split, it's a pretty successful weekend," said head coach Rex Peters.

There is a first time for everything.

Unfortunately for the Aggies, this is the first time all season they have owned a record below .500.

UC Davis saw its season record fall to 8-10 after suffering two weekend defeats to Big West Conference foes UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly. More significantly, the losses dropped the team's conference record to 1-3.

One month ago, if you were to say the softball team would win only one game all month, somebody might have called you crazy.

One month ago, the team held a winning mark at 15-13 overall and was firing on all cylinders with a dynamic pitching staff and an explosive offense.

But then March happened.

The Aggies lost 11 straight games by an average of 2.9 runs, as the offense went on a slump, producing a .167 batting average during the stretch.

"We have to remain positive," head coach Karen Yoder said. "We need to find a way to come through and drive in those runners in scoring position. I think it will all start coming together for us in the final 16 games of the season."

Finally, after a month of struggling, the Aggies welcome April with a win over Pacific in a three-game conference road series.

Eleventh-year head coach Bill Maze has been saying it all season, and the UC Davis women's tennis team keeps supporting it.

"We are definitely tough, and I think the best team I have ever had in Davis," Maze said.

The Aggies (11-7, 3-3) won two of three matches in their final homestand of the 2008 campaign, downing both Portland and Cal State Fullerton in shutout fashion.

Maybe it was senior Laura Uribe's halfcourt heaves that somehow kept finding the back of the net. Maybe it was the standing room only crowds at the Schaal Aquatics Center. Maybe it was head coach Jamey Wright's clap-spin move with a big smile seconds after even a bigger win.

Whatever it was, the No. 10 UC Davis women's water polo team has figured out how to win consistently.

After defeating all five of their opponents this weekend, including a monstrous victory over rival Loyola Marymount, UC Davis (21-8, 11-1) has won eight in a row and is peaking at the right time.

Men's and women's track and field

If records are meant to be broken, then Kim Conley is doing her job.

A native of Santa Rosa, Calif., Conley set a school record with an impressive time of 16:30.22 in the 5,000-meter run at the Stanford Invitational on Friday. Her time broke Patty Gray's record of 16:34.87, set back in 1985.

Among the other Aggie standouts was sophomore Polly Gnepa. After finishing in second place in the 110 high hurdles at the Cal-Nevada Championships last weekend, Gnepa's time of 14.29 was good for third place.

Freshman Thomas Phillips took third-place honors in the 400 hurdles on the men's side of things. Ben Johnson's time of 1:53.57 in the 800 was his best showing of the season.

UC Davis followed up a solid first day of competition with another strong showing Saturday.

Jamie Holmes had the house set up just the way she envisioned.

Purchased in 2005, it was finally fully renovated. The flooring was of fine bamboo hardwood. The kitchen and bathrooms were all brand new. It was urban loft living in an older Ohio neighborhood, Holmes says proudly.

And now she is leaving it all behind.

One week from today, the former top assistant at Ohio State will begin her tenure as UC Davis' ninth women's volleyball head coach.

"I'm very excited, without question," Holmes said in a phone interview from her residence in Columbus. "I find myself every day getting more and more anxious to get started."

Event: Wyoming Cowboy Classic

Where: North Course at Talking Stick Golf Club - Scottsdale, Ariz.

When: Today and Tuesday, all day

Who to watch: Closing in on the final chapter of his senior season, Matt Marshall will look to lead the Aggies this weekend at the Cowboy Classic.

In his freshman season with UCLA, Marshall posted a 68 at the same tournament, and with any luck the Saratoga, Calif. native will have a repeat performance for UC Davis.

The UC Davis women's lacrosse team hadn't defeated California in eight years, but it held a 7-6 lead after 22 minutes of play.

Then history repeated itself once again.

Fueled by a subsequent 15-3 run, the Golden Bears roared back from the early one-point deficit to defeat the Aggies for the 10th straight time, 21-10, after leading just 11-9 at halftime.

"That was one of the best first halves that I have seen our team play," said head coach Elaine Jones.

But the good play soon gave way to a 10-1 second-half scoring run by the Golden Bears.

Teams: UC Davis vs. California

Records: Aggies, 4-7; Golden Bears, 6-5

Where: Aggie Stadium

When: Saturday at 4 p.m.

Who to watch: Sophomore attacker Olivia Jarem looked at home in last week's East Coast road trip. That's because she was.

Teams: UC Davis vs. Washington State

Records: Aggies, 18-8; Cougars, 16-10

Where: Bailey-Brayton Field - Pullman, Wash.

When: Today at 2 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.; Sunday at noon

Robin Guier knows the end is near.

How it came so soon she still can't piece together.

A senior on the UC Davis women's tennis team, Guier will be playing in the final two matches of her home career this weekend. The Aggies will first host UC Irvine Saturday at 11 a.m. and then Cal State Fullerton Sunday at 10 a.m.

Leading up to the two-match set at the Marya Welch Tennis Center, Aggie Sports Editor MICHAEL GEHLKEN sat down with Guier to discuss the team's early success in conference play, why she chose to attend UC Davis and the unwritten code of conduct for any fan looking to root on the Aggies this weekend.

Teams: UC Davis vs. UC Santa Barbara; Cal Poly

Records: Aggies, 8-8 (1-1); No. 64 Gauchos, 8-5 (2-1); Mustangs, 8-8 (1-0)

Where: Recreation Center Courts - Santa Barbara, Calif.; Mustang Courts - San Luis Obispo, Calif.

When: Saturday at 1 p.m.; Sunday at noon

Who to Watch: Unlike sports that are governed by the clock, in tennis it isn't over till it's over.

Teams: UC Davis vs. Pacific

Records: Aggies 15-24 (0-3); Tigers 19-21 (1-2)

Where: Bill Simoni Field - Stockton, Calif.

When: Saturday at noon and 2 p.m.; Sunday at noon

Who to watch: Batting clean-up for the Aggies, junior Julie Strauder leads the team so far this season in three key categories: batting average (.298), OBP (.402) and runs scored (23).

Event: 28th Annual Aggie Shootout

Teams: No. 10 UC Davis vs. Colorado State; Cal State East Bay; No. 11 Loyola Marymount; Cal State San Bernadino; Cal State Bakersfield

Records: Aggies, 16-8 (5-1); Rams 8-20 (5-8); Pioneers 11-8 (3-3); Lions, 13-8 (5-1); Coyotes, 15-10 (3-2); Roadrunners, 15-13 (7-5)

When: Today at 3 p.m.; Saturday at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.; Sunday at 8 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.