The Nevada women’s volleyball (5-13, 3-5) returned to the Virginia Street Gym on Thursday, Oct. 22, to face UC Davis (9-10, 5-3) in a Mountain West matchup as the Wolf Pack looks to get back on track following a pair of losses on the road against the UNLV Rebels. UC Davis swept Nevada 3-0 in their game at home.
Nevada will look to freshman opposite hitter Paige Thies, who has recorded 249 kills this season so far. As well as freshman opposite Madison Long, who has added another 153 kills, to lead offense against Davis.
Davis has won the last two meetings between the teams in straight sets. They entered the matchup with senior middle blocker Ally Chandler, who recorded more than 20 kills in a five set loss to San Jose State on Oct. 17.
Nevada had a strong start, leading 3-0 early in the set. The Wolf Pack saw three kills early on by Thies and Long as they looked to establish offensive power early.
Early in the set, the ball was turned over to Davis due to an error, and the Aggies responded quickly by putting up six points, keeping the set competitive. Davis continued their scoring with a kill by Chandler.
The Pack kept fighting, bringing the score to 15-12, still in favor of the Aggies, as junior outside hitter Malia Pilimai secured a kill to bring the Pack back to life. An impressive end to the set by the Aggies led them to take the opening set 25-18, giving the team a 1-0 set lead.
Davis looked to build on their first set performance, with freshman opposite hitter Isabella Umpierre making their aggressive first kill. Umpierre went on to contribute 11 kills for the Aggies by the end of the set, leading kills for this game at that point.
Nevada fired back with kills from freshman middle Karly Bonaventure and Long, while Davis responded with kills by Chandler, bringing the set to a 7-7 tie early on.
The teams traded points consistently with a score of 15-13 at the middle of the set in favor of Davis. As the set wrapped up, the Wolf Pack bounced back with a kill by Pilimai and a block assist by freshman setter Adriana Dorn, and the Pack began to creep up on the Aggies 20-17. But the Aggies claimed the set 25-20, bringing the match to 2-0.
With the match at 2-0 heading into the third set, Nevada looked to regain control of their home court. The Wolf Pack relied on Long, Thies and Pilmai, the first kill of this set coming from Long as she helped bring the crowd’s energy back.
Davis answered with two kills by Chandler and senior setter Mia Starr, putting pressure on Nevada as the set progressed. The set remained a back and forth battle but Davis maintained a strong lead.
The Pack saw points from two block solos by Thies and Dorn followed by a kill from Long. At 15-12, the Aggies began to lose momentum but made a strong comeback. Davis closed out the set (25-21), leaving the match at (3-0).
The Wolf Pack finished the match with 31 kills, 39 digs, nine blocks and 106 attacks. Long led Nevada with 10, while senior middle blocker Ceren Sert contributed four. Both Sert and Long assisted their team despite Davis’s strong attacks.
For UC Davis, Umpierre recorded 14 kills while Chandler contributed 12. The Aggies finished with 39 kills, 49 digs and 108 attacks.
Nevada will face UC Davis again on Saturday, Oct. 24 in Davis, California. The Wolf Pack will return home to host Wyoming on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 6 p.m.
