May 19, 2013

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Aggies’ heartbreak in Big West Conference Tournament

Women's water polo team falls short of claiming conference title

Written by Kenneth Ling
Aggie Sports Writer
Published on May 2, 2013
Filed under Sports, Women's Water Polo

Defense wins championships. The Aggies’ high-powered offense simply could not overcome the team’s defensive woes, losing the first-round contest to the nationally ranked UC Irvine Anteaters, 8-5. UC Davis then suffered a heartbreaking 10-9 loss at the hands of the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. The Aggies then wrapped up tournament play against Pacific on Sunday, thrashing the Tigers by the score of 10-4. Entering the first-round matchup with the second-seeded Anteaters, the Aggies knew that they were going to face a tough team. In the second regular season meeting between the two teams, UC Davis gave up a last-second score to give UC Irvine the 7-6 win. Thus, this game seemed to be one of the most exciting matchups of the Big West tournament. However, the matchup was never really that close. The Anteaters took an early lead and never looked back. With goals from freshman Kelsey Thornton and junior Hilary Estrada, UC Irvine jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The lead blossomed even more in the second quarter, as... ...

Baseball Preview

Baseball Preview

Teams: UC Davis at UC Irvine Records: Aggies, 15-22 (3-9) ; Anteaters, 25-11 (7-5) Where: Cicerone Field — Irvine, Calif. When: Friday at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 1 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m. Who to Watch: Junior second baseman Steven Patterson has been killing the baseball as of late. In fact, in the game against UC Riverside on Picnic Day, Patterson drilled a three-run homer to seal the game for the Aggies. He is hitting .338 with two home runs and 26 RBI, after the series against the Highlanders. Patterson’s solid hitting is something which the UC Davis batting order has needed. Patterson has a seven-game hitting streak that has boosted his average from .286 to a blistering .338. He has also shown some patience at the plate, drawing nine walks this season. The result of his hot hitting and ability to draw walks is a .396 on-base percentage. His ability to get on base and drive in runs has been a huge catalyst for the recent resurgence in the... ...

Softball Preview

Softball Preview

Teams: UC Davis vs. Cal State Fullerton Records: Aggies, 19-23 (6-9) ; Titans, 21-25 (6-8) Where: La Rue Field — Davis, Calif. When: Saturday at noon and 2 p.m.; Sunday at noon Who to Watch: The Aggies recently won the weekend series against UC Riverside, with a recent 1-0 shutout victory in the weekend finale that showcased some fantastic pitching. The shutout was pitched by sophomore standout Justine Vela, who held the Highlanders to only two hits in seven innings. She got the win, improving her record to an outstanding 12-7. Her stellar pitching has resulted in a 2.18 ERA. Vela has not only allowed very few runs this season, she has also completely dominated the batters. Vela has struck out 155 batters this season and only allowed 52 walks. This is gives her a respectable 2.98 strikeouts per walk. UC Davis relies on solid pitching to win games, and Vela is definitely the ace of the pitching staff. Her ERA is currently fifth lowest in the Big West and... ...

Women’s Water Polo Preview

Event: Big West Conference Tournament Teams: UC Davis vs. UC Irvine Records: Aggies, 14-15 (1-6); Anteaters, 19-8 (6-1) Where: Anteater Aquatics Center — Irvine, Calif. When: Friday at 3:30 p.m. Who to Watch: Senior Carmen Eggert has been one of the main goal scorers for the Aggies this season. Eggert is having a fantastic senior year as she has scored 71 goals this season in only 29 games played. To put this in perspective, her 2.45 goals per game average is the third-highest average in Big West Conference history. Also, her total of 71 goals this season is the sixth-highest single-season scoring output ever in the conference. Such scoring production has certainly made the Aggies a dangerous team to play against. With an average of 9.3 goals per game, UC Davis is capable of scoring goals in a hurry. Eggert is certainly a major component in the offense. However, Eggert’s offense is not solely dependent on her ability to score. She also has the ability to distribute the ball and... ...

UC Davis women’s golf four-peats as Big West Champions

The UC Davis women’s golf team went to the Big West Conference Championships and placed as expected. First. Still, the degree of their dominance was what was truly impressive. The Aggies went down to Cal Poly and played lights-out at the San Luis Obispo Country Club. Senior Demi Runas, who is ranked 13th nationally, shot a one-under 218 for first place in the Big West tournament. She was two strokes ahead of the second-place finisher, who happened to be her freshman teammate Andrea Wong. Sophomore Beverly Vatananugulkit, who won the tournament last year, shot a 223 for a third-place finish and senior Amy Simanton placed fourth, one stroke behind Vatananugulkit. Freshman Betty Chen rounded out the Aggies’ top four finishers with a solid 230 score that placed her in a tie for 12th place. A more extensive recap can be found online at theaggie.org. The UC Davis men’s golf team will now enter its respective conference tournament at The Country Club at Soboba Springs in San Jacinto, Calif. The Aggies... ...

UC Davis tennis begins play at Conference Tournament

The underdog card is always a good one to play late in the season when the pressure is high. The UC Davis tennis teams will need to play smart, and take advantage of their lower seeds in order to go deep in the Big West Championship tournament. That isn’t to say they aren’t capable of it. The Aggies will just have to put things together at the right time. The UC Davis men’s tennis team just recently spent Picnic Day weekend down in Southern California, finishing up its Big West regular season competition. The Aggies grabbed their first and only win in the conference with a 7-0 sweep over UC Riverside. UC Davis took the doubles point then swept the singles to take down the Highlanders. The day before their victory over UC Riverside, the Aggies took one of their most impressive wins this season, with a 4-3 victory over Loyola Marymount. UC Davis took the crucial doubles point, then jumped ahead with two quick singles wins at the five... ...

Baseball Preview

Baseball Preview

Teams: UC Davis vs. UC Riverside Records: Aggies, 12-22 (0-9) ; Highlanders, 17-15 (6-3) Where: Dobbins Stadium — Davis, Calif. When: Friday at 2:30 p.m.; Saturday at 1 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m. Who to Watch: The lack of recent run support for the Aggie pitchers cannot be blamed on junior Nick Lynch. Lynch’s batting average stood at a blistering .349 after the Long Beach series. UC Davis has struggled to hit the long ball and has only managed to hit six home runs this season. Lynch has two of those six home runs to go along with his 18 runs batted in. The lack of recent run support for the Aggie pitchers cannot be blamed on junior Nick Lynch. Lynch’s batting average stood at a blistering .349 after the Long Beach series. UC Davis has struggled to hit the long ball and has only managed to hit six home runs this season. Lynch has two of those six home runs to go along with his 18 runs batted in.... ...

Picnic Day sports events

Women’s tennis — 11 a.m. at Marya Welch Tennis Center The UC Davis women’s tennis team will have its last match of the regular season on April 13 against Sonoma State. The Aggies have already finished Big West Competition and sealed a sixth-place finish in the league with a 4-5 conference record. UC Davis holds a 9-12 overall record and is coming off a split weekend. UC Davis grabbed a 5-2 victory over Pacific on April 12 and then fell in a tightly contested match to UC Santa Barbara 5-2. The Aggies will face off with the Sea Wolves and hope to get a win in order to swing momentum in their direction as they prepare for the conference tournament, in which they will most likely face off against UC Santa Barbara. Women’s Water Polo — Noon at Schaal Aquatics Center The 19th-ranked UC Davis women’s water polo team will face cross-town rival Pacific on Picnic Day, an intense matchup that has become quite a tradition for the Aggies. UC... ...

Women’s tennis to host Sonoma State in Picnic Day feature

The beating winds will blow, Picnic Day festivities will come but the tennis will not stop. The UC Davis tennis teams are entering their final weekends of competition before the Big West Conference Championships tournament. The men’s team is coming off a tough weekend with tightly contested matches. They faced off with Cal Poly on April 12 and fell 5-2. Three of the matches went to three sets, but only junior Kyle Miller was able to pull his out. Junior Parker Kelley contributed the other Aggie point at No. 3 singles. The next day, UC Davis matched up with UC Santa Barbara and fell in a close battle by a score of 4-3. The Aggies lost the doubles point but bounced back to win half the singles matches. Unfortunately this wasn’t enough, as the Gauchos’ three singles points were enough to edge the Aggies. Kelley took a three set victory at three while freshman Brett Bacharach won at four by a 6-4, 6-4 score. Senior George Horowitz took a 6-4,... ...

Women’s golf looks to four-peat at Big West Championships

While most will be complaining about standing around in the heat at Picnic Day this weekend, the UC Davis golf teams will have no time to whine as they soldier on to their respective tournaments. The men’s golf team will co-host the Winchester Classic in Meadow Vista, Calif. from April 19 to April 21. Last year, the Aggies finished in a three-way tie for second place and were led by current junior Matt Seramin and sophomore Mike Brockington. Seramin played a consistent couple of rounds to tie for second in the tournament, as he never dropped out of the top-five individual competitors. Brockington put up a 68 to boost himself up eleven spots from 15th to fourth. UC Davis has enjoyed the return of senior Tyler Raber this year, as he has been posting low numbers for the Aggies all year long. The tournament at the Winchester Country Club, just as it has in the past, precedes the Big West Conference Championships and will act as a good warm-up for... ...

Column: Fantasy fantasy sports

If there was a fantasy sport where you got points for being loyal, I think I’d be a key player. I’m not sure what makes me buy into the whole “‘till death do us part” with everything in my life. That being said, you already know Derek Jeter is staying as my starting shortstop on my fantasy team. Yes, he was my first-round draft pick. Yes, he may not come back until June. And yes, to answer the question you already know the answer to, I am in last place in my league. Either way, the new generation of baseball players is coming up and I am hopelessly behind in the baseball world. The realm of sports is changing so fast and so often that the only player whose stats I can reel off right now are Derek Jeter’s. Partly because he’s my favorite player, but mostly because he has stepped into the batters box this season as many times as Mulan’s father talked about his son Ping. I think... ...

Softball Preview

Softball Preview

Teams: UC Davis at UC Riverside Records: Aggies, 17-21 (4-7); Highlanders, 16-24 (0-9) Where: Amy S. Harrison Field — Riverside, Calif. When: Saturday, April 20 at 12 and 2 p.m.; Sunday, April 21 at 12 p.m. Who to Watch: Freshman Christa Castello has been a terror on the base paths this season. She is tied for sixth in the Big West for stolen bases, with 11 steals. This, along with her impressive .287 batting average and 11 runs batted in after the UC Santa Barbara series, will definitely cause UC Riverside’s less than stellar pitching staff some problems. With the Highlander pitching staff prone to giving up home runs, the addition of Castello on the bases gives the UC Riverside pitchers something else to think about. Thus, the Highlander pitchers may not be as focused on making the best pitch and could make a costly mistake leading to big hits for the Aggies. UC Davis needs to find consistent run production, and the series against UC Riverside seems like the... ...

Baseball preview

Baseball preview

Teams: UC Davis at Long Beach State Records: Aggies, 11-19; Dirtbags, 13-18 Where: Blair Field — Long Beach, Calif. When: Friday at 6 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m. Who to watch: Sophomore John Williams has been the sure-handed outfielder that the Aggies have come to rely upon for more than his glove. Williams has played 25 games this year, starting 20 of them. After last weekend’s series against Fullerton, he is hitting .306 and has a team-high three triples. Williams’ .418 slugging percentage is good enough for third on the team. He is also tied for the lead in RBI as Williams has 19 so far this season. The UC Davis men’s baseball team has struggled to bring in runs and Williams’ hitting has been a bright spot in an otherwise weak batting order. In the last game of the recent three-game series against Cal State Northridge, he went 2-4, with a double and an RBI. Though the Aggies eventually lost the game 5-2, Williams’ hits... ...

Aggies earn mixed results against tough competition

Aggies earn mixed results against tough competition

The women’s lacrosse team (3-8, 0-4) went 1-2 over spring break, despite facing the toughest back-to-back combination of opponents thus far this season. After demolishing Howard by a final score of 23-6, the Aggies squared off against Navy and Drexel, which are ranked 16th and 12th, respectively. Senior Elizabeth Datino garnered MPSF Offensive Player of the Week honors, totaling 13 goals with four assists in the three games. In addition, she posted a career-high seven goals at Howard. She then went on to score hat tricks against both the Mids and Dragons. Against Navy, the Aggies rallied to within deficits of 5-3 and 8-5 early on before Navy pulled away in the middle-third of the contest. The Aggies held a 5-3 lead late in the first half before a Drexel goal with only eight seconds left in the half. This ignited what became a 6-2 Dragon finish. Sophomore Kai Murphy accomplished her best game thus far, tallying eight sixes throughout the course of the game. Senior Hannah Mirza scored a... ...

Women’s water polo preview

Teams: UC Davis vs. Cal State Monterey Bay; Pacific Records: Aggies 12-15, (0-6); Otters 8-19, (2-5), Tigers 16-11, (1-4) Where: The “Otter” Tank — Seaside, Calif.; Schaal Aquatics Center — Davis, Calif. When: Friday at 2 p.m.; Saturday at noon. Who to watch: Senior Kathryn Bailey recently returned to the Aggie lineup and she has wasted no time making a splash. During last week’s contest against first-ranked Hawai’i, Bailey tallied three goals for UC Davis. UC Davis ended up losing the 12-14 shootout against the Wahine, but it was a phenomenal effort from the eighth-ranked Aggies. Having Bailey back in the pool gives the Aggie offense another necessary threat. With UC Davis standing 0-6 in conference, the Aggies need to find a way to win quickly. Did you know? Seniors Carmen Eggert and Jessica Dunn have combined to score 32 of the Aggies’ 60 conference goals this year. They both also contributed hat tricks against Hawai’i last week. Preview: UC Davis seems to be constantly on the verge of winning.... ...