Sacramento State’s volleyball team was struck down 3-1 against the rival UC Davis Aggies Tuesday night at The Nest.
Returning home after being on the road for the Gator Invitational, the Hornets went head-to-head against their rival marking the 80th meeting between the two.
“We should’ve started the match playing with confidence and belief in our abilities,” senior middle blocker Kalani Hayes said. “When we play with trust in ourselves and each other I believe we can beat any team on our schedule.”
First Set: 18-25 Aggies
Sac State started off on the right foot as they took the lead hitting UC Davis with service aces, kills and block assists. Senior outside hitter Caitlin Volkmann hit the Aggies with kills back-to-back.
Senior opposite hitter Karlee Soderberg and senior middle blocker Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin stayed close to the net hitting the Aggies with a block assist.
UC Davis caught up to Sac State as they responded to attacks. Sac State made attack errors, which doomed their chance to defeat Saint Mary’s. These errors gave UC Davis the lead and they never looked back.
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Second Set: 19-25 Aggies
Going into the second set Sac State started with a service error giving a point to UC Davis, but made an upturn as junior outside hitter Ellie Tisko hit the Aggies with a kill followed by Volkmann striking with another kill.
The Hornets were hustling as they tried to keep a lead, but couldn’t hold it down as the Aggies started gaining points again due to errors from the Hornets.
Sac State wasn’t able to build their momentum in the second set as UC Davis took control, taking the win. The Hornets had a total of 14 kills compared to the Aggies having 12 kills in this second set.
“One thing that could have gone better in tonight’s game is our side out game,” Kamba-Griffin said. “I think we could’ve done better to stop their runs sooner.”
Third Set: 25-15 Hornets
In the third set Sac State knew they had no choice, but to get their momentum back up. This set only had one lead change as the Hornets stayed in the lead.
The Hornets made sure to have at least two to three players stay close to the net for block assists and in case they needed to hit the Aggies with a kill. Hayes was attacking the Aggies with kills and fellow Kamba-Griffin was hitting kills and solo blocks.
“I think we showed fight throughout the match and didn’t back down after not playing our best the first two sets,” Hayes said. “I also think we attacked very well at times throughout the match.”
Sac State only made two errors and five more kills than UC Davis in this set.
Fourth Set: 21-25 Aggies
The fourth and final set was vigorous, and every decision mattered.
Sac State was making close saves, but those same pesky errors kept popping up.
The Hornets had a chance to keep the match alive, but an attack error automatically gave the set point to the Aggies.
“Wish we could’ve played better and been more consistent,” Sac State head coach Ruben Volta said. “Played really well at times but just not playing very consistently.”
The Hornets will be traveling to Stockton for the Central Cal Challenge as they will play three days against CSU Bakersfield on Thursday, Fresno State on Friday and Pacific on Saturday. All of the following matches will start at 3 p.m.
