SEATTLE – Husky Head Coach Leslie Gabriel told her team during the match to be grateful for UC Davis playing at such a high level, as it would make them better in the end. In the end of today’s match at Alaska Airlines Arena, the Dawgs did get the better of the Aggies, winning in four sets, 19-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-22, but it was a battle from start to finish.
Washington improved to 7-0 with the win for the first time since 2016, and again the Huskies relied on the defensive improvements they’ve made since last season. The Huskies held UC Davis to .148 attacking, the sixth time in seven matches that UW held its opponent under .200. That helped the Huskies overcome a more challenging day with their own offense, as UW hit .190, their second-lowest mark of the year.
While UC Davis did well to limit the damage from UW’s pin attackers, the Huskies got a huge match out of the middle from freshman Julia Hunt. The rookie on Friday had reached double-figures in kills for the first time with 10, but today she flew past that with 16 kills, hitting .448.
Kierstyn Barton had 10 kills and Audra Wilmes checked in late in set four and had the last two kills as UW broke out of a 22-22 tie with a 3-0 run to finish and avoid a decisive fifth set.
Molly Wilson had a double-double with 26 assists and 10 digs, while Lauren Bays had a season-high 19 digs.
“UC Davis has faced a tough schedule; we’re the third Big Ten team they’ve played, and they play UCLA next week, so that team is going to be good,” said Gabriel….
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