Nov. 5, 2003

Final Stats

DAVIS, Calif. --- Senior outside hitter Stacey Clifton had 23 kills while middle blocker Darci Burton added 18 kills and six blocks to lead Chico State to a 30-17, 19-30, 30-24, 26-30, 15-10 win over UC Davis in a California Collegiate Athletic Association women's volleyball match at Upper Hickey Gym Wednesday.

The Aggies fall to 14-11 on the season and 9-9 in conference. The Wildcats improve to 13-9 overall and 9-9 in CCAA play.

Chico never trailed in the decisive Game 5. Clifton had three of her five fifth-game kills in a 5-1 start, but UC Davis bounced back to within 5-4 and later, 7-6. That was as close as the Aggies would approach: Karli Ross had back-to-back kills after the changeover to boost the Wildcat lead to 10-6. UC Davis freshman Nicole Read put down a pair of kills to cut that lead to two but yet another kill by Ross kept the Aggies at bay. Chico scored three straight points to win the game and match.

Read had 13 kills and a .379 hitting average to go with five blocks to lead UC Davis. Senior Kelly Gaudino posted a match-high 24 kills and 18 digs. Libero Mary McClelland led the Aggies with 21 digs.

Carli Ross paced the Chico defense with 20 digs, tops among six Wildcats in double-figure digs. Clifton recorded 15, Samantha Seitz had 14, Becky Stutte added 12 and Burton and Kirsten Ray each contributed 11.

"Chico used their win versus Cal State L.A. as a launching pad. We were just drained," said UC Davis head coach Stephanie Hawbecker. Both teams enjoyed upsets over the Golden Eagles during the previous weekend. "We don't have a counter for Clifton. Last time we played, we made up for it by serving tough. This time Chico passed better and we didn't serve as tough.

"Now we just have to get fired up. I expect more from this team for the last four matches."

UC Davis opened the match with six straight points, capitalizing on Chico hitting errors. A service ace by Christina Ng made it 9-2, then a block by Rachel Keener and Ellen Fitzpatrick stretched the lead to 13-4. Fitzpatrick had three kills on five attempts in the opening game.

The Wildcats bounced back in Game 2, breaking the game open with a 6-0 run to build a 13-7 lead. Chico, which had hit below .000 in Game 1, turned in a solid .293 average. The 'Cats also had three blocks and three aces to take a relatively quick second game and tie the match at 1-1.

Burton posted seven of her 18 kills in Game 3 to put her team ahead 2-1 in games. Her back-to-back kills were part of a five-point run that helped Chico pull ahead 24-16. The Aggies came back with three straight points, but a kill by Ross followed by a UC Davis team reception error stretched the Wildcats' lead to 28-21. Samantha Seitz knocked down the game-winner.

The Aggies hit .341 as a team in Game 4, pounding out 17 kills on 41 total attempts. Kate Wilton served up two aces in a three-point stretch to lift UC Davis to a 10-9 lead. But the two teams tied the game seven times through 16-16 after that point. The Aggies went ahead 19-16, but Chico did not stray too far behind and eventually caught up to a 21-21 deadlock.

Read's kill on an errant Chico overpass helped spark another three-point run that put UC Davis ahead 26-23. The Aggies held on, and Gaudino had kills for game point and for the game-winner.

UC Davis returns to the road for its final four matches in the CCAA, starting with a match at No. 1-ranked UC San Diego Friday.

CHICO (kills-aces-blocks) - Stacey Clifton 23-1-2, Kirsten Ray 1-1-0, Darci Burton 18-1-6, Samantha Seitz 5-0-2, Carli Ross 10-2-2, Chelsea Tyrrell 6-2-2, Alexa Skjei 6-0-4, Becky Stutte 0-0-0, Katie Heinz 0-0-0, Nicole Sweeney 2-0-1. Totals 71-7-10.0. Assists - Samantha Seitz 48. Digs leaders - Carli Ross 20, Stacey Clifton 15, Samantha Seitz 14, Becky Stutte 12, Darci Burton 11, Kirsten Ray 11.

UC DAVIS (kills-aces-blocks) - Kate Wilton 9-3-0, Kelly Gaudino 24-1-1, Marritt Cafarchia 0-1-0, Christina Ng 2-1-0, Rachel Keener 7-0-3, Nicole Read 13-1-5, Sarah Johnstone 0-0-0, Mary McClelland 0-0-0, Ingrid Nuss 0-0-0, Kim Vincent 4-0-1, Jill McPheeters 0-0-1, Ellen Fitzpatrick 4-0-2. Totals 63-7-8.0. Assists - Christina Ng 56. Digs leaders - Mary McClelland 21, Kelly Gaudino 18, Christina Ng 12, Marritt Cafarchia 11.