RENO, Nev. - Freshman outside hitter Allison Whitson posted 13 kills and a .480 hitting average while juniors Melanie Adams and Kayla Varney each added 10 kills to lead UC Davis to a 25-15, 25-20, 25-8 sweep of Sam Houston State in its final match at the Circus Circus Invitational, hosted by Nevada at the Virginia Street Gym Saturday.
The Aggies, now 7-3 for the season, lost their earlier match in four sets to Portland State by scores of 25-21, 19-25, 25-15, 25-18.
Whitson committed just one hitting error in 25 swings to help UC Davis hit .330 as a team. Sophomore middle blocker Katie Denny also put up high efficiency numbers on offense. She hit 7-1-12 (.500) to go with five service aces.
UC Davis finished the first strong in its win over SHSU. Adams posted four kills to help the Aggies score 10 of the final 11 points in the frame, pulling away from a tight 15-14 margin to a 25-15 win. Sophomore middle Katie Denny and junior outside hitter Kayla Varney each scored two kills in that run.
In the second set, Adams hammered out a side-out kill then served up three straight points to push UC Davis out to a 13-9 lead. The Bearkats never approached closer than that margin, as Varney and setter Carson Lowden delivered two kills down the stretch in defense of the lead.
Denny served up all five aces in the 25-8 third set, capping the widest margin of victory for the season. Whitson tallied six kills in the set, one more than the entire SHSU team. UC Davis hit .500 collectively, holding the Bearkats to just five kills on the opposite side of the tape.
