DAVIS, Calif. --- UC Irvine's blocking game took center stage for the second night this week but the Anteaters hit below .200 for the first time in eight matches in a 3-1 (15-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-14) loss to UC Davis Saturday night at The Pavilion.
UCI dropped to 7-9 overall and 1-3 in the Big West despite posting a 27-6 advantage at the net. The team also improved drastically from the service line, committing just two service errors after having registered double-digit service errors in the two previous matches. Harlee Kekauoha led the team with 12 kills and added a double-double with 12 digs to go along with four block assists. Ella Rosenfeld paced all players with eight block assists and Sydney Wright posted a career-high seven total blocks. Victoria Dennis put away 11 kills while Emily Blair just missed a double-double with 29 assists and nine digs. Luna Tsujimoto tied for the match-high with 17 digs.
The Anteaters came out with a .318 clip in the first set and held UC Davis (7-11, 2-2) to negative-.071. UCI jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the first as Kaylin Squyres and Emily Allen committed back-to-back attack errors. The Aggies narrowed the lead to three at 14-11 on a ball-handling error by Tsujimoto but UCI responded by staging a 6-0 run, getting consecutive blocks from the duo of Kekauoha and Idara Akpakpa on Kendall Walbrecht to build a 20-11 advantage. UCI maintained control and Wright delivered the game-winning point with a solo block on Nicola Moore.
The two teams played an even match in the second but with the Anteaters trailing 12-10, they saw the Aggies go on a four-point run (16-10). UCI answered back with a 4-0 rally of its own as the Anteater front row denied UCD on four straight plays to knot the score at 18-18. Blair went to Rosenfeld to give UCI a one-point lead (19-18). The two teams sided out until at 20-20, the Aggies followed an attack error by Dennis with kills from Walbrecht and Squyres (23-20). That was the final push UCD needed and Aima Eichie tied the match for the Aggies.
The Aggies charged out to a 7-2 lead in the third on Kendall Walbrecht's ace and widened the lead to six (10-4) on an unforced error by Kylie Green. The Aggies sandwiched a kill by Rosenfeld with a pair of errors as the Anteaters shaved the lead to three at 10-7. However, UC Davis followed an error by Shelley Anderson with a kill from Sophia Mar to rebuild the lead back to five (12-7). Rosenfeld figured again for UCI, this time highlighting a three-point rally that included an ace from Chloe Hakim (13-10). At 17-13, the Anteaters clawed back into the match by scoring four answered points to tie the set at 17-17 on a kill from Wright. UC Davis pulled ahead for good, getting consecutive kills from Eichie and Squyres to lead 20-18 and held off UCI until Mar went to Walbrecht for the game-winner.
The Anteaters were unable to contain the Aggies in the fourth as UC Davis pulled away from a one-point margin at 9-8 and went on a 5-2 run to lead 14-10. The spread went to six at 18-12 as Eichie and Squyres came through for the Aggies again and unforced errors by the Anteaters in the final four plays would close the door for UCI.
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