The Aggies left the Bronco Invitational at Santa Clara University on Saturday with a podium finish.

Jonathan Peterson was the big winner on the men’s side with a first-place time of 23:45.1 in the 8K individual race. Not only did Peterson best the competition of 30 other schools, his time was also fast enough to set a new course record.

Behind Peterson was Jonathan Sees, who finished in tenth place with a time of 24:16.8. Meanwhile Calvin Thigpen took 17th , finishing at 24:28.8.

Of all of the schools competing in the Bronco Invitational, the three Aggie runners were the only competitors from the Big West Conference to finish in the top 20. This is great news looking ahead to their next event, the Big West Conference Championships.

Caitlin Fitzgerald led the way on the women’s side, finishing with a time of 17:26.7 in the 5K, good for 15th place. Sarah Tusting came in 31st at 17.48.8, while Krista Dreschler followed her in at 37th with a time of 17:50.9.

Fitzgerald, Tusting and Dreschler led the way to earn a fifth place finish overall for the UC Davis women. Peterson’s course record along with fast times by Sees and Thigpen brought the men to a podium finish, earning third place overall on the men’s side.

With great finishes for both the men’s and women’s teams at the Bronco Invitational, sights are set and hopes are high as the Aggies prepare for the Big West Championships in Riverside on Oct. 23.

– Johnny Parsons

After playing on a short but grueling road trip that featured eleven games in just over two weeks, the Aggies came home to play their next eight games at Schaal Aquatic Center.

It was a great change of pace for UC Davis, who finished the home stand last weekend against No. 9 UC San Diego and No. 13 Pepperdine.

Friday – No. 11 UC Davis 6, No. 9 UC San Diego 5

The Aggies have so many outlets that once top scorer Carlos Martinez has now been more of a distributor.

“We have a lot more options,” Martinez said. “In previous seasons, I was relied on as the primary source – now I’m the last option in the offense.”

The Aggies still needed every goal they could muster to take a 6-5 win over the No. 9 Tritons last Friday. Martinez’ two key goals and stellar defense helped the Aggies upset UC San Diego for a second time this year.

Like their game against Pacific, the Aggies started as the aggressor and scored the first point. After a Kevin Peat save, a pass to senior Cory Lyle would result in the first score of the game as Lyle’s shot found home.

Though the Tritons took the lead with two goals of their own, junior Walter Eggert would tie the game on a lobbed shot over the Triton goalkeeper for a score.

During a 6 on 5 power play late in the first half, Martinez muscled his way in to gather the rebound and bury the ball in the cage, giving UC Davis a 3-2 lead.

Both teams would score once more to make the halftime score 4-3 in favor of the Aggies.

Right out of the gate, senior Matt Richardson would give UC Davis a two score lead.

The Tritons answered back with a goal of their own, putting pressure on the Aggies.

In the final seconds of the third quarter, however, Martinez would retain his composure and his cool as he scored the go-ahead goal with only one second left on the shot clock. His goal gave Aggies a 6-5 edge and a lead that the defense would not surrender.

With two minutes to go, UC San Diego put up a flurry of three shots on one possession, but came up empty. With 24 seconds left, the Tritons had an opportunity to run one last play, but were stifled as Martinez’s pesky defense prevented the Tritons from easily advancing the ball.

“Our defense is a team defense,” men’s coach Steve Doten said. “When we play the top teams in the conference, we’re not big or athletic enough to shut everybody down.”

Saturday – No. 13 Pepperdine 7, No. 11 UC Davis 5 (OT)

Like their most recent games, this one was all about defense.

No team had a player score more than one goal and neither team found a way to start a large run.

UC Davis utility player Ryan Hagens would tie the game 1-1 after Pepperdine took an early lead in the first quarter.

“Ryan Hagens is coming back from an injury,” Doten said. “We need to get him [back] in [the game]. He provides a lot for us.”

UC Davis was paced by two goals from Lyle in the second quarter off of two five-meter exclusions. At the end of the half, the score would be 3-3.

Eggert’s goal with 5:10 to go in the third gave the Aggies a 4-3 lead that the Wave would eventually tie.

But the Aggies breathed a sigh of relief as center Aaron Salit gave UC Davis the lead with under three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Aggies’ defense, however, seemed to let up. UC Davis was unable to stop the Waves from scoring and forcing overtime, where Pepperdine scored two goals and won the game 7-5.

With the loss, the Aggies are now 12-6 on the season but still remain 11-0 in Western Water Polo Association play. The Aggies will travel to Santa Clara, Calif. to participate in The Rodeo starting Oct. 23.

MATT WANG can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

UC Davis entered its final home game of the year still in search of the first NorPac victory in program history.

The Aggies had been close, losing two overtime games to conference opponents, but they wanted to finish their home season on the right foot.

Standing in their way was Pacific.

The game began as a back and forth contest.

Both teams had opportunities early in the first half, but it was the Aggies who struck first, on a goal from freshman Cloey LemMon in the 25th minute.

UC Davis controlled the game from that point well into the second half, keeping Pacific scoreless for the first 54 minutes of the game.

The Tigers, however, were able to find their way to the cage in the 54th, when Kelly Perkins put the ball past UC Davis goalkeeper Lauren Sawvelle.

The Aggies responded well after the Tiger goal, attacking the Pacific net.

UC Davis seemed to have scored in the 67th minute, when a shot from distance flew past the Pacific keeper, but the goal was deemed to have come from outside the circle and the score was disallowed by the officials.

The Aggies were close to scoring a late shot from sophomore Lindsey Valadez, but she was denied by Pacific goalkeeper Ashlee Schlesier.

Regulation ended with the score tied at one and Aggies found themselves in overtime for the third straight home game.

The Aggies were not happy with having to play the extra period.

“When the game went to overtime we were upset,” said coach Vianney Campos. “We knew that it shouldn’t’ have gotten there. We’d beaten Pacific [in an exhibition match] before and we felt it shouldn’t have made it that far.”

The Aggies used their frustration as motivation in the extra period.

UC Davis created several early opportunities and finally broke through in the 76th minute when sophomore Nadia Namdari put the ball past the Pacific keeper to end the game.

Campos knew that Namdari could find the cage if given the opportunity.

“Nadia is our go-to player when it comes to scoring,” she said. “She’s dynamic with the ball. We look for her when we need a goal.”

For Namdari, it was a relief when the ball made its way past the goalie.

“When I took the shot I was just thinking ‘please go in,'” she said. “Fortunately it went under their keeper’s foot and we scored. It felt so good to see that all our hard work paid off.”

For UC Davis the goal meant more than just another win.

The game marked the Aggies first ever NorPac victory in their two-year history and it took some pressure off the team.

“It’s awesome,” Campos said. “It’s a huge weight off our shoulders.”

It also shows how much UC Davis field hockey has improved as a program.

“It’s huge for the team to reach this point,” Campos said. “It keeps our momentum moving forward. We’ve already surpassed our win total from last year. It just shows how much our program has grown.”

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

The Aggies knew they would have to fight for a victory with this weekend’s slate of Big West conference matches.

UC Davis matched up against second place Cal Poly Friday night and first place UC Santa Barbara Saturday night.

It was the tale of two different teams for the Aggies as UC Davis struggled to find any consistency against the Mustangs, but dominated the Gauchos both offensively and defensively en route to the victory.

With the weekend split, the Aggies are 13-7 on the season and 5-3 in conference play. UC Davis sits a game and a half behind first place Cal State Fullerton.

Friday – Cal Poly 3, UC Davis 1

No matter what sport one plays, errors will ultimately lead to a loss.

The Aggies were no exception as they struggled against rival Cal Poly, committing 30 errors on the evening.

“Cal Poly is a good team and you can’t give good teams opportunities like we did,” coach Jamie Holmes said. “We’ll have to work on minimizing the errors at practice.”

UC Davis took the first set 27-25 behind strong play from freshman setter Jenny Woolway who had 10 assists in the opening set.

However 26 of the 30 UC Davis errors came in the next three sets, and the Mustangs would take advantage. Cal Poly cruised to the victory, winning the next three sets 25-15, 25-23, 25-18.

Saturday – UC Davis 3, UC Santa Barbara 2

Already down two sets to none, the Aggies were looking down the barrel of the gun as the Gauchos held a seemingly commanding 19-14 lead.

Kayla Varney changed everything.

The senior captain’s kill turned the momentum of the game a full 180 degrees as the Aggies stormed back to take the third set and eventually the match.

“I really don’t know what the turning point in the game was,” Varney said. “We just started celebrating more and came together as a team. We’re all really excited.”

Varney especially has good reasons to be excited. The Murrieta, Calif. native led UC Davis in kills and digs for the match.

Holmes was just as excited about the big victory for the Aggies.

“‘Wow’ is what I can say about that one,” Holmes said. “I’m really proud of our kids and their composure and demeanor on the court. It would have been pretty easy to throw in the towel during that third set, but we talk about never saying die and they showed that tonight.”

UC Santa Barbara jumped out to the two set lead as it put the Aggies in early deficits. UC Davis battled back in the first set to force extra play, but the Gauchos converted back-to-back kills en route to the 30-28 victory.

The second set was a similar story for UC Davis as it found itself in an early whole it couldn’t get out of. Again the Aggies battled back, but ultimately fell 25-21.

Varney’s spike midway through the third, however, sealed the momentum shift for the Aggies. The only time the score was tied in the fourth and fifth set was at 0-0. UC Davis dominated UC Santa Barbara both offensively and defensively en route to the victory.

“We made a significant line-up change tonight,” Holmes said. “We moved [Varney] out of the libero and put her on the outside. It really helped us in the match as our outsides hit for a very high percentage.”

Coming back from two sets down to the Gauchos was not an unfamiliar situation for the Aggies. UC Davis did the exact same thing last year against UC Santa Barbara.

“I don’t know if remembering last year helped too much in this match,” Holmes said. “In general, our kids did a good job serving and taking them out of system.”

Holmes believes the home crowd played like a seventh person on the court in the win over Santa Barbara.

“I’m so excited about how the crowd was tonight,” Holmes said. “I think that’s college athletics is all about cheering on your team and making the players on the court feel supported.”

UC Davis will have a quick turnaround as it will travel to take San Francisco tomorrow and have a throw back night of sorts Saturday night as it will take on UC Riverside at Hickey Gym.

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

When the women’s soccer team dropped to 0-3 in a year with injuries depleting the Aggies’ depth, coach Maryclaire Robinson said the rest of the season wouldn’t depend on just one player stepping up.

Success down the stretch, however, would hinge upon how well the underclassmen played.

“One person isn’t going to cut it,” Robinson said. “The key is going to be how our younger players handle the situation.”

The youth on the roster truly stepped in the Aggies’ 2-1 victory over Big West Conference foe UC Santa Barbara.

Freshmen Bridget Berman and Ashley Edwards each netted goals in the first half of play to give UC Davis a lead it would not relinquish.

“This is a huge win,” Robinson said. “Beating a team like Santa Barbara is a really quality win for us.”

The Aggies took charge of the game early as they scored two goals within the opening 20 minutes.

Twelve minutes in, junior Lisa Kemp dribbled down the right side of the box and sent a cross to Berman, who headed the ball home from eight yards out. Berman’s second goal of the season gave the Aggies a 1-0 lead.

Barely three minutes passed when a defensive miscue near the Gauchos’ goal let Edwards take a shot from ten yards out. She would not waste the opportunity as she stretched the UC Davis lead to two.

The Aggie defense kept the Gauchos from scoring until midway through the second period. In the 69th minute, UC Santa Barbara would finally get on the board with a goal from Kailyn Kuger.

The defense weathered a second half that saw eleven shots from the Gauchos. Goalkeeper Maria Magana posted four saves after she took over for Kathleen Brandl who also posted three saves.

“They really came after us in the second half,” Robinson said. “They snuck one in to get on the board, but overall we had great team defense.”

After playing two games every weekend for the past month and a half, the Aggies got a chance to rest a bit this weekend with only one game on the schedule. They have another opportunity to get a road conference win when they take on Pacific on Oct. 21.

MATT WANG can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

It’s a good time to be a UC Davis defender.

Not only have the Aggies held their opponents scoreless in the last three games, but the last two have featured game-winning goals from members of the back line.

Defenders scored the only two goals of the week as UC Davis powered past UC Riverside and Cal State Northridge.

Wednesday – UC Davis 1, UC Riverside 0 (OT)

UC Davis began their three-game home stand with a matchup against UC Riverside.

The Aggies began the game on the offensive.

UC Davis created multiple opportunities in the first half, including two shots by junior Lance Patterson that came close to finding the back of the net.

Despite outshooting the Highlanders 7-4, the Aggies entered that break at a 0-0 tie.

The second period yielded the best opportunity of regulation as a Patterson header found its way over the crossbar.

Still the teams were unable to score, and the game entered overtime.

It took just one opportunity in the extra period for the Aggies to find the net.

A corner kick from freshman Kevin Schulte found the head of senior defender Nate Javadi and the ball found its way into the net to end the game.

It was Javadi’s first goal of the season and it could not have come at a better time.

“It was really exciting,” Javadi said. “We should have gotten a score earlier in the game. I’m just glad we were able to pull off the win.”

Coach Dwayne Shaffer was happy for his team.

“I’m proud of the way we battled,” he said. “It’s always nice to see a senior captain step up and score a goal.”

Still, he knew it was a result they needed to have.

“In this conference you’re expected to win at home,” Shaffer said. “It’s key for us to take care of business in Davis.”

Saturday – UC Davis 1, CSU Northridge 0 (2OT)

It was a similar story for the Aggies in Saturday’s home match against CSU Northridge.

UC Davis had scoring opportunities early in the game, highlighted by a breakaway that left Patterson one on one with the goalkeeper.

Again, however, the Aggies were unable to convert in regulation, and the game entered overtime.

UC Davis dominated the scoring chances in the extra period and it appeared that Javadi might have been the hero again, but his header flew just wide of the post.

The game was finally decided in the 107th minute when defender Ethan Shawlee took a cross from freshman Elliot Hord and headed it into the net.

Shawlee knew this was a big goal for the Aggies.

“It was huge knowing that we needed the three points,” he said. “We have to win these games at home. I was happy to step in. This was my moment.”

Shawlee’s late game heroics were made possible by another strong performance from the UC Davis defense.

Freshman Goalkeeper Omar Zeenni produced his third straight clean sheet and made several key saves to keep the Aggies in the game.

Despite his individual performance, Zeenni knows it was a team effort.

“I have an experienced back four in front of me,” he said. “They trust in me and I trust in them. I’m just glad we put ourselves in a position to win.”

Even more impressive is that the UC Davis defense was able to hold the shutout without the services of Rene Cuellar or Mustafa Chopan for most of the game.

“To have two defensive starters go down is tough,” Shaffer said, “but we had two guys step in and play really well.”

With the win, UC Davis is guaranteed to hold at least third place in the Big West Conference.

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

Think of the most exciting sport.

First thought has to be basketball and its century-mark scoring.

Wrong.

What about the hard-hitting, big play oriented football?

Wrong again.

The answer is a sport that combines both the hard hitting – albeit a different kind of hard hitting – of football and the constant scoring of basketball. A sport where the crowd can erupt in cheers after almost every play. A sport where a player can hit an opponent as hard as they want with the ball and it’s just part of the game. A sport where its most important statistic is kills.

I’m of course talking about women’s volleyball.

Nothing represents the sheer thrill volleyball can bring than the Aggies’ huge comeback Saturday night, to top first place UC Santa Barbara.

For those who couldn’t make the game (which should be a lot as the attendance was a shade under 350), UC Davis rallied from two sets down to absolutely crush the Gauchos in the final two sets. The fourth and fifth games weren’t even close as the Aggies never trailed in either and the score was only tied at 0-0.

The crowd truly played like a seventh person, erupting after every kill, every block and every dive to keep the ball in play. The players on the court clearly fed off the energy from the crowd and turned it into an amazing game of volleyball.

There was one person who was especially appreciative of the atmosphere inside the Pavilion – head coach Jamie Holmes.

Holmes has waiting for that kind of environment to come cheer on her team, and she finally got it.

“I’m so excited to see the atmosphere as it was,” Holmes said. “We had a fantastic crowd. The Aggie Pack members showed up and it was a really nice atmosphere. I want to thank UC Davis for that.”

While every player, fan, parent and assistant coach was erupting in cheers during the latter half of Saturday’s match, there was one person who was solid as a rock throughout the entire match – Holmes.

Aside from an occasional fist pump, Holmes was emotionless the entire match. At the scorers table where there is a strict no cheering rule – a rule I’ve already broken during a football game – I even wanted to join in the excitement.

Holmes, however, believes it’s her duty as a coach to remain stoic during each and every set.

“I do think it’s important that I don’t get sucked into the emotions of it all,” the third year coach said. “There are still decisions that need to be made and your team needs to know that you’re not caught up in the excitement of the game.

“For me it’s important to stay calm because I want my team to stay calm.”

How Holmes can stay calm is beside me. After every Kayla Varney dig, or Betsy Sedlak kill, or Jenny Woolway incredible save, it’s human nature to jump out of your seat and cheer for the home team.

Even in Friday night’s loss to rival Cal Poly, the crowd was loud until the last ball hit the floor. The Cal Aggie Band-Uh and Aggie Pack were cheering as loud as they could up until the last point was scored.

That’s what makes volleyball so compelling. A crowd cheering despite the results makes volleyball the most exciting sport UC Davis has to offer.

A case could be made that basketball is the most exciting Aggie sport, and in some circumstances I would agree. Take UC Davis’ historic win over Pacific last winter. The moment the final buzzer sounded would go down as one of the greatest moments in UC Davis athletic history. However, say the Aggies lost that game to the Tigers by 15 points, do you think the Pavilion would have been just as loud? Of course not.

However, on Friday night when the women’s volleyball team lost to Cal Poly, the Pavilion was as loud as the teams Pacific-esque win on Saturday.

I’m slowly becoming one of the fans that really can see the true excitement a volleyball game can bring. Aside from a couple section playoff games at my high school, my volleyball watching experience was pretty limited.

After Saturday’s win however, I’m truly hooked to the most exciting sport UC Davis has to offer.

If there is a team just as exciting (or nerve-racking) as Aggie volleyball, it’s got to the San Francisco Giants. JASON ALPERT swears if there’s one more one-run playoff game, he might lose it. To talk Aggie women’s volleyball or Giants baseball, e-mail him at sports@theaggie.org.