DAVIS, Calif. – After sweeping Holy Cross earlier in the day, Utah Valley University volleyball finished its 2018 opening day with a split via to a 3-0 setback to the host UC Davis Aggies at the Aggie Invitational on Friday evening in Davis, Calif. (19-25, 17-25, 18-25).
 
With the setback, the Wolverines fall to 1-1 on the young season while UC Davis improves to 1-0 with the victory. 
 
Despite dropping the contest, freshman Kazna Tarawhiti had a strong match for UVU with a match-high 13 kills, three blocks and four digs. Preseason All-WAC selection Kristen Allred followed with eight kills and four digs, while junior transfer Makaila Jarema added four kills, three block and two digs. Fellow transfer Jaysa Funk Stratton paced the way in assists with 10 and freshman Abbie Vincent topped the team from the back row with nine digs. 
 
"We got outplayed. I felt like we have just as much talent (as UC Davis), but you've got to be able to execute and we didn't do a good job of that," said head UVU coach Sam Atoa. "There are some areas that we struggled at, and it made the difference. However, I was proud of our girls' efforts, especially at the net with our blocking, at the service line, as well as some performances from our outsides. It just wasn't enough to help carry the team."
 
The Aggies, who finished fourth in the Big West Conference a season ago with a 16-14 overall record and an 8-8 conference clip, were the first to get things going in the opening set as they jumped out to an early 12-5 lead following an 8-2 run. Later trailing 21-12, Utah Valley managed to piece together a 7-2 spurt to make things interesting at 23-19. Jarema led the rally for the Wolverines with a block and a kill. Following a kill from freshman BriAnne Mortensen, the Aggies then responded with back-to-back kills from Lauren Matias to put the opening set away at 25-19. 
 
UVU responded in the early stages of the second set by opening a 6-2 advantage after scoring six of the first eight points. Allred as well as freshmen Kaili Downs and Tarawhiti all recorded kills for the Wolverines during the early run. Later holding to an 8-6 lead following a Jarema kill, UC Davis then responded with five unanswered points to take an 11-8 lead. Trailing 15-11, Utah Valley then managed to reel off back-to-back-to-back points on a Downs kill, a Jarema and Tarawhiti block, and a Jarema and Downs block to make it a one-point game at 15-14. The Aggies responded, however, with a key late 8-1 run to take a 23-15 lead. UVU got a point back on a late Tarawhiti kill and another on a UCD service error, but it was too late as the Aggies held on to take set number two, 25-17, and a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
In a much tighter third set, UC Davis took an early 11-8 advantage following a 4-0 spurt. The Wolverines didn't waste any time answering back, however, as quickly tied the score at 12-12 following a 4-1 run. Jarema capped the UVU spurt with a kill. Later tied at 14-all, the Aggies then managed to reel off a 5-0 run to take a 19-14 advantage. The Wolverines would cut the deficit to four on a couple of occasions, but UC Davis managed to hold its lead down the stretch to finish off the contest in three sets. 
 
Emily Allen led UCD in the contest with a match-high 17 kills. She also tallied a double-double with 12 digs. As a team, the Aggies outhit UVU .366 to .168 on the evening. 
 
Earlier in the day, UVU opened its 2018 season with a 3-0 sweep over Holy Cross (25-22, 25-19, 25-22). Allred led the Wolverines in the contest with 10 kills on .391 hitting. 
 
The Wolverines will close the season-opening tournament on Saturday against Northern Arizona. UVU and NAU will do battle at The Pavilion at 11 a.m. MT/10 a.m. PT. Following the conclusion of the tournament, Utah Valley will return to Orem for its 2018 home opener on Tuesday, Aug. 28 against Idaho State. First serve for the home opener is set for 6 p.m. at UVU's Lockhart Arena. 
 
"Anytime that you lose a tough battle like this, you want to get back on the court and get to work," Atoa added. "We're looking forward to getting back to action on Saturday against Northern Arizona. I believe the girls will be hungry and ready to embrace the challenge to get better."