After narrowly escaping the Kennesaw State Invitational undefeated, the Hoosiers have a quick turnaround as they head back to Indiana to host University of California, Davis for a Monday night matchup. With a win, Indiana will start with a 3-0 record for its second season in a row.
Last season, UC Davis went 13-16, where it was a first-round exit in the Big West Conference tournament. After three matches in 2024, the Aggies are 2-1 following their appearance in the Stacey Clark Classic this weekend. They picked up back-to-back wins against University of Maryland, Balitmore County in four sets, and Kansas State in five sets but fell in their final match to the hosts of the classic, No. 8 Purdue, in three sets.
UC Davis made minimal roster changes, adding no players from the portal and signing just two freshmen. However, three returning Aggies received recognition last season: senior setter Olivia Utterback was named to the All-Big West second team, while sophomore middle blocker Ally Chandler and sophomore outside hitter Reese Diersbock were selected to the All-Freshman team.
Expect the Aggies to be a challenge for Indiana on defense, as between Friday and Saturday’s games, the Aggies tallied over 150 digs across the two games. And on Saturday’s game against Kansas State, UC Davis had a block party with 15 blocks, 14 of those by sophomore middle blocker Allie Caldwell and sophomore setter Mia Starr.
Senior libero Julia Ng also is a key part to the defense, as she’s already tallied 51 digs and an average of 4.25 digs per set. Last season, she reached 394 digs and averaged 3.55 digs per set.
While the team excels in defense, UC Davis has some weapons on offense in Utterback and junior outside hitter Jade Light. Both reached double digit kills in the first two games of the Stacey Clark Classic.
Indiana will face off against UC Davis 7 p.m. Monday at Wilkinson Hall. The match can be viewed on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Parker Rodgers (@parrod153) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
