The UC Davis cross country team played host this weekend at the Doc Adams Open.

The course went through Putah Creek, south of the UC Davis campus.

The men finished third of the three teams that participated. The Aggies were led by sophomore Drew Peterson who finished 30th overall in the 8K with a time of 25:43.

Gregor Lloyd-Smith, Nathan Strum and Simon Graves followed Peterson on the men’s side.

On the women’s side, freshman Hilary Teadford finished 14th in the 6K race with a time of 22:29 to lead all UC Davis runners. Freshman Shannon Harcus finished 16th with a time of 22:35.

The women finished fourth overall in the race.

The Aggies rested many of their key runners in preparation of next weekend’s NCAA West Region Championships in Eugene, Ore.

– Jason Alpert

The Aggies knew they had to play their best if they wanted to come away with two wins this weekend.

Unfortunately for UC Davis, the squads they matched up with were ranked first and second respectively in the Big West Conference.

The Aggies ultimately lost both of their matches this weekend to the Matadors and 49ers.

With the two losses, UC Davis drops to 16-10 on the season and 7-6 in conference matches. The Aggies are three and a half games out of first place and are mathematically eliminated from first in the Big West. UC Davis will be unable to gain 20 wins on the season, as well.

Senior Melanie Adams led the Aggies with 22 kills over the weekend.

Friday – Cal State Fullerton 3, UC Davis 0

When UC Davis played Cal State Fullerton earlier this season, it lost in a five-set heartbreaker.

This match was quite different from the earlier one as Cal State Fullerton cruised to the three-set sweep.

The Matadors squeaked by UC Davis in the opening set, taking six of the final nine points to win the set.

From the first set on, all the momentum was on Cal State Fullerton’s bench.

The Matadors cruised to a 25-16 second set victory and won the third set 25-22.

Sophomore Allison Whitson was the only UC Davis hitter in double digits for kills as she recorded ten. Freshman Jenny Woolway continued her strong play as she recorded 33 assists in the loss.

“Jenny has been doing fantastic for us all season,” Holmes said. “She continues to do a solid job in the middle in setting up our outside hitters.”

It was just the fourth straight-set loss the Aggies suffered this season.

Saturday – Long Beach State 3, UC Davis 2

The last time the Aggies faced the Matadors and 49ers in the same weekend, UC Davis was swept convincingly by Long Beach State and fell in a heartbreaker to Cal State Fullerton.

This weekend, the roles were reversed, as it was the 49ers handing the Aggies the heartbreaking defeat.

UC Davis controlled the momentum against second place Long Beach State early, taking the first set 25-19.

The 49ers responded quickly, however, taking the second and third sets 25-21.

The blocking duo of Adams and junior Katie Denny kept UC Davis in the game late.

The Aggies were down 20-14 in the fourth set and Long Beach State looked poised to take the set and the match. Key blocks from Adams and Denny helped the Aggies storm back to tie the score at 22.

Redshirt freshman Devon Damelio came off the bench to score a key kill, as the Aggies took fourth set 28-26.

Long Beach State took advantage of a couple Aggie mistakes to take the fifth and deciding set 16-14.

Holmes said the tight games that end in a loss are the ones that sting the most.

“The close games are the ones that hurt the most,” Holmes said. “When we have opportunities to win and we don’t take advantage of them, it really hurts. It certainly hurts the players as they worked hard to put themselves in a position to win and we didn’t.”

The Aggies are tied with Pacific for fifth place in the Big West with as they enter the final three games of the season.

The last trio of matches will continue to be a challenge for UC Davis. The Aggies will take on UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly on the road next weekend.

JASON ALPERT can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

It was a game the Aggies needed to win.

Their goal all season long had been to gain a spot in the Big West Conference Tournament. A loss to UC Riverside would most likely put an end to their hopes of playing in the post-season.

Unfortunately for UC Davis, they fell to the Highlanders and their season ended.

The Aggies came out of the gates strong in the first few minutes.

“We pressed hard right at the start,” said coach Dwayne Shaffer. “We were on the attack for the first few minutes.”

Things changed quickly, however, as UC Riverside found the net following a long ball from their goalkeeper.

“He gathered the ball,” Shaffer said, “and he punted it over everybody. The ball rolled up to our box. We had a communication issue between our defender and our goalkeeper. There was just a moment of hesitation, and their striker ran in and put the ball in the net from 15 yards out.”

From that point, UC Davis was forced to play catch-up.

Despite outshooting the Highlanders 13-8 for the game, the Aggies were unable to find the net.

“We put ourselves in some good positions offensively,” Shaffer said. “We just didn’t put the shots on frame and force their keeper to make saves. I think we had our adrenaline pumping, because we kept firing the ball at the goal instead of trying to place it on frame. I think some of the shots we took are still in orbit.”

The game ended at the score of 1-0, in favor of UC Riverside.

It was the third time the Aggies had been shut out in a Big West game this season.

The UC Davis loss combined with Cal Poly’s 1-0 win over Cal State Fullerton moved the Aggies into a tie with the Titans for fourth place in the Big West.

Due to the tiebreaker situation, UC Davis was eliminated from the Big West Tournament picture.

It was not the way the Aggies had hoped their season would end, but coach Shaffer is proud of his team’s efforts this year.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed about not qualifying for the tournament,” he said. “Our players played really hard all year, and we were in every game we played.”

Shaffer is also pleased about the way his team improved from a year ago.

“We had a better finish than we had last year,” he said. “I feel like we did some really good things to advance the program.”

Now, it’s time for UC Davis to start focusing on next year.

UC Davis will lose only five seniors this winter, and their nine freshmen all gained some valuable experience in this campaign.

“Our 2011 season started as soon as that game ended,” Shaffer said. “Our goals for next year will remain the same: we want to make the Big West Tournament and ultimately get an NCAA Tournament berth.

“I think we’re ready to take our program back to the level we were at in 2006, 2007, and 2008. We can get back to the great program we’re capable of being.”

TREVOR CRAMER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

The Aggies knew it from the start – to beat the Fighting Sioux, they needed to make plays.

They also needed to be on the same page on defense, offense and special teams.

With consistency in all facets of the Saturday’s game, UC Davis took down North Dakota with a 35-16 victory.

“We had contributions from everybody,” said coach Bob Biggs. “That was the game we were looking for all year. All in all I’m very happy. We made big plays, and I was very pleased with how hard [the Aggies] played.”

With the win, UC Davis moved to 4-5 on the season and 2-1 in the Great West Conference.

While UC Davis maintained a lead that started on the game’s opening drive, the Aggie defense allowed just three Sioux field goals and a touchdown.

Biggs said the most pivotal of UC Davis’ big plays happened on defense at the end of the third quarter.

Aggie defensive tackle Brock Galvin recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown to break away with a 28-16 lead.

“That was the big play in the game,” Biggs said. “At the time, we only had the 21-16 lead, so it turned the momentum of the game.”

Meanwhile, Biggs was pleased with the way the Aggies capitalized on special teams opportunities.

After three offensive penalties pinned UC Davis against their goal line, punter Colton Schmidt took care of business, booting a 78-yard punt deep into North Dakota territory.

That kick will go down as the longest punt in UC Davis history.

“In warm-ups, [Schmidt] was booming the ball,” Biggs said. “The ball he hit came at a critical time. We were backed up deep in our own territory, and he literally punted the ball the distance of the field. That really put [North Dakota] backs against the wall, and it turned out to be a pivotal play.”

If the defense and special teams were strong, the offense was nothing short of dominant.

Aggie running back Corbin Cutshaw led the effort on the ground with 60 yards, followed closely by Nick Aprile who gained 46.

Biggs was happy with the way UC Davis has developed on the ground.

“Although we didn’t hit a big run, we were getting some nice shots on each carry,” Biggs said. “The offensive line for the past few weeks has really come into their own and allowed us to run the football.”

As a result of a strong running game, quarterback Randy Wright picked up a new career-high, throwing for 286 yards and four touchdowns.

“Once [Wright] settled in, he made some terrific throws,” Biggs said. “He just continues to get better. I see the growth, maturity and development each and every week.”

On the Aggies’ opening drive, Wright found wide receiver Stephen Dunstan wide-open in the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown reception.

Receiver Sean Creadick caught the other three scoring passes, reaching the century-mark for yards for the fifth time this season.

“Creadick has been so consistent,” Biggs said. “He’s made plays all year for us, and he’s really playing at an exceptionally high level. He’s a marked man every week and it amazes me the way he’s been able to get open.”

Biggs says that the team’s resilience through this win is a reflection of the team’s tenacity, particularly in the leadership of captains Creadick, Dozie Amajoyi and Danny Hart.

“I’ve said it all year, we have very good leadership,” Biggs said. “They refuse to cave in, and they will not let this team dwell on a negative game. They’re sending a very strong message to our younger players to keep fighting.”

GRACE SPRAGUE can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Teams: UC Davis vs. San Jose State; vs. Seattle; vs. Loyola Marymount

Record: Aggies, 3-1; Spartans 2-2.

Where: Schaal Aquatic Center

When: Friday at 1p.m.; Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Who to Watch:  After a season-crippling shoulder injury last year, senior Heidi Kucera is jumping back in the pool with a vengeance.

The Atherton, Calif. native also plays water polo, does rodeo and was awarded Big West Female Athlete of the Year in 2009. Kucera was also the first Division I Aggie that qualified for Nationals.

“She’s done a tremendous job getting herself back into competitive shape,” coach Barbara Jahn said. “She goes into a different gear in the last 25 yards of a race.”

Did you know? On Saturday, the divers will be competing concurrently with the swim meet. Since the events occur at the same time, spectators will be able watch both events and see the diversity of talent this team has to offer. Coach Jahn said the team would love to see a big home crowd show up to cheer for the events.

Preview: This weekend, the Aggies will race in their most competitive dual yet.

San Jose State is known for having fast sprint freestylers, agile divers and widespread depth in other events.

Despite the Spartans’ strengths, the Aggies aren’t backing down from the challenge.

“We know they’re strong,” Jahn said. “We just can’t let that intimidate us. I predict that the race against San Jose State will be close in points.”

The swimmers and divers are going into their events knowing the Aggies need to take first in the majority of events in order to come out on top. If everything is tied, the dual champion will be claimed based on the team’s performance in the relays.

After Saturday’s races, the Aggies will jump back into the pool on Sunday to battle Seattle and Loyola Marymount.

The dual meet against the Redhawks and Lions will be the first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matchup for the Aggies this season.

“We swam against LMU at the meet down in UCLA, so we know what to expect,” Jahn said. “As for Seattle, I think we’ll have an easier time.”

Jahn said that the team’s goal of the weekend is to win all three meets and to keep adding wins to their already prestigious 3-1 record.

“We’d really like to challenge San Jose State,” Jahn said. “And I know the whole team would like to see a big home crowd show up to cheer.”

– Caleigh Guoynes

Teams: UC Davis vs. Cal State Fullerton; vs. Long Beach State

Records: Aggies, 16-8 (7-4); Titans 19-5 (8-2); 49ers 17-6 (7-3)

Where: The Pavilion

When: Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 7 p.m.

Who to watch: Sophomore Allison Whitson has been a dominating force for the Aggies at the net.

The outside hitter racked up 17 kills in each of UC Davis’ matches last weekend. The Palo Alto, Calif. native hit for a very efficient rate of .394 for the two games, committing just eight errors combined.

Did you know? The Aggies will need to win four of their last five games to reach the 20-win mark for the second straight season.

Preview: After Saturday’s heartbreaking, five-set loss at the hands of Cal State Northridge, UC Davis would probably want an easy match to get its confidence back up.

Unfortunately for the Aggies, there’s no such thing as an easy match in the Big West Conference.

UC Davis will play host to first place Cal State Fullerton and second place Long Beach State this weekend in arguably the two most important games of the season for the Aggies.

UC Davis currently sits in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Big West with UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. The three teams are a game and half behind the first place Titans.

Coach Jamie Holmes acknowledges how big this weekend is for UC Davis volleyball.

“How well we do in the Big West depends on how well we play down the stretch,” Holmes said. “This upcoming weekend will be huge.”

The Aggies matched up with the Titans and 49ers earlier in the season is the same weekend. UC Davis dropped both matches – a straight set sweep to Long Beach State and a five-set thriller against Cal State Fullerton.

Holmes believes the Aggies can end the weekend with one or possibly two wins, as long as they play smart, consistent volleyball.

“As always, we’ll need to be able to pass the ball,” Holmes said. “It’s all about being focused from the beginning to end of the match.”

– Jason Alpert

Teams: Loyola Marymount University vs. UC Davis

Records: Aggies 15-7 (12-0); Lions 13-7 (11-1)

Where: Schaal Aquatic Center

When: Friday at 6 p.m.

Who to watch: Though the center is a focal point of the Aggie offense, attacker Cory Lyle has been making a push to become the leading scorer.

The senior from Carlsbad, Calif. is second on the team with 31 goals and has tallied a total of 22 assists. In the four games of the Rodeo tournament, Lyle scored a total of 10 goals and was a key component of the 9-6 win over Air Force.

Did you know? The upcoming game against the Lions has a huge impact on the upcoming Western Water Polo Association Championships. Currently, the Aggies are the challengers for the top spot with a 12-0 conference record. On Friday they take on the reigning champ where a win guarantees a favorable matchup in postseason play.

“This game will determine the first spot in conference championships,” said coach Steve Doten. “This game has a direct relationship to the layout of the conference tournament. The top four or five teams in our conference are very tough.”

Preview: The Aggies haven’t been playing as many games as they did in previous years. Because of large budget constraints last year, UC Davis is playing the minimum number of games, something that concerns coach Steve Doten.

“We’re playing fewer games because of the crisis last year,” Doten said. “We scheduled the least number of games to make the budget work. We’re a real college team that has to balance the budget and we try to do as best we can.”

While Doten stressed that the weekend off could result in fewer repetitions in such a crucial part of the season, he also noted that the break allowed injured athletes to recover and study for midterms.

“We’re an academics-first program and guys have to go through midterms,” Doten said. “A free weekend also helps with getting guys healthy.”

The Lions haven’t played in two weeks since their 9-2 win over Claremont and have one loss within the conference. Their only loss was given to them by a talented UC San Diego.

Doten expects the Lions to push tempo and continue to attack their defense.

“They counter-attack hard for four quarters,” Doten said. “We’re going to push the pace against them and they are trying to push the pace against us.”

– Matt Wang

Teams: UC Davis at North Dakota

Records: Aggies, 3-5 (1-1); Fighting Sioux, 3-5 (0-2)

Where: Alerus Center – Grand Forks, N.D.

When: Saturday at 10 a.m.

Who to watch: Senior linebacker Dozie Amajoyi always expects more out of himself.

“My goal is to never lose a game,” Amajoyi said. “That’s the way you have to approach it. You have to expect more. You have to do everything it takes to make the tackle or break up the pass.”

The team captain out of San Bernardino, Calif. finished last season with 50 tackles and currently leads the Aggies with 69 already this year.

Amajoyi also has two interceptions and fumble recoveries on the season.

Did you know? When UC Davis matched up against North Dakota at home last season, the Aggies posted 378 total yards on offense and came out with the 28-20 victory.

Preview: “It’s always a goal to have a winning season,” said coach Bob Biggs.

If the Aggies knock down the Fighting Sioux this Saturday, they will be one step closer to that goal.

In order for UC Davis to top North Dakota it needs to make plays.

They’ve seen opportunities to do so, but Biggs says it’s been inconsistent on both sides of the ball.

“We have to execute,” Biggs said. “[Against Southern Utah], we had a chance for an interception, we had a chance to take the first drive down and score, and we had a chance to get Sean Creadick into the end zone. But there comes a point when the players have to make plays.”

After the loss on Saturday to Great West Conference leader Southern Utah, UC Davis was mathematically eliminated from its second straight conference title.

The Aggies have their backs to the wall and are playing for pride.

“In football, a win is a benefit, and a loss is a benefit,” Amajoyi said. “Either way, you learn something about your team.

“A season takes every single game, so every single week we learn something about ourselves. [Last] week was just humbling because we played like that. It brings back the motivation to keep working hard. We still have games left on the season, so we’re still going to approach them with the right attitude.”

Biggs agreed, saying that a competitive upcoming schedule will test everything the Aggies have.

“This is when you get really challenged,” he said. “It is going to be a test for us. We have three very difficult games, beginning with North Dakota, and it’s a test of your competitiveness as a person and as a teammate.”

For the rest of the campaign, a victory on the road this week is crucial for UC Davis.

“Getting a win right now is very pivotal for us for the two games following that,” Amajoyi said. “These are the types of games we need to win.”

– Grace Sprague

Event: Doc Adams Open

Where: Putah Creek Reserve Course

When: Saturday at 10 a.m.

Who to watch: Senior Caitlin Fitzgerald has been the Aggies’ first- or second-place finisher for the last three events. The Palmdale, Calif. native will look to maintain her high performance level for the Aggies and break into the top 10 of this weekend’s overall field.

Did you know? The Aggies are undefeated at home so far this season after beating Sacramento State in the Aggie Open on Sept. 4.

Preview: After an amazing finish last weekend at the Big West Conference Championship meet, the Aggies look to continue their dominance at home on Saturday at the Doc Adams Open.

UC Davis has hosted the Doc Adams Open since 2008 and has posted great results each year.

At the 2009 event, the men took first place in the 8K race while the women were led by junior Kristina Taylor, who took third place in the 6K.

This year is shaping up to yield similar results at the Doc Adams Open, especially since the Aggies are coming off of an outstanding performance last weekend as the Aggie men won the Big West Championship.

Caitlin Fitzgerald and Krista Dreschler have led the way for the women this season, and the senior and junior runners look to set the tone once again and get a win on their home turf. Along with the upperclassmen, some younger faces will be taking the stage this Saturday.

Axel Stanovsky, a junior transfer from Washington, and freshman Greyson Hough should be making themselves known this weekend. Both had top-20 finishes back in September at the Hornet Jamboree hosted by Sacramento State.

On the women’s side, sophomore Sarah Tusting looks to be following close behind Dreschler and Fitzgerald in terms of top Aggie finishers. Tusting took seventh place in the 6K at the Hornet Jamboree, finishing only four seconds behind Fitzgerald.

While the big names like Peterson, Sees, Thigpen and Dreschler have been leading the way all season, the Doc Adams Open is shaping up to be a perfect opportunity for new runners to step into the spotlight. Saturday’s race serves to look ahead into the 2011 campaign to see who can fill the big shoes left by this year’s senior class.

Now that Big West competition is over and the Aggies have proven that they stand alone at the top of the conference, coach Drew Wartenburg and his team look to prove themselves on the national scale. The best foot will be put forward this Saturday at the Doc Adams Open.

– Johnny Parsons