Nov. 6, 2001

Box Score

Chicago, Ill. - It is often difficult to defeat a volleyball team when they have a hitting percentage of over .300.

The University of Illinois at Chicago volleyball team nearly put an end to that myth as Northern Illinois edged the Flames, 30-19, 27-30, 30-23, 34-32 at the Physical Education Building on Tuesday night. Northern Illinois collected 72 kills on the night for a hitting percentage of .297.

With the victory, Northern Illinois extends its winning streak to 16 matches and improves to 19-4 on the season, while UIC drops to 13-14 overall.

Sophomore outside hitter Teaha Shepperd recorded a team-high, 14 kills on the night, while teammates Lynn Clarkson and Gina Caneva added 13 and 10 kills respectively.

In game one, Northern Illinois came away with a decisive 30-19 victory, but August knew that his troops were prepared for battle.

"Once we felt them out, we weren't intimidated by them at all," August said. "It was just a war."

UIC, in fact, faced game-point in game four at 32-31, but Northern Illinois scored the next three points to secure the victory and the match.

Despite the loss, August remained upbeat about his team's performance.

"We just relaxed and ripped balls, which is what you want to do from the very beginning," August said. "They know they can play with anybody if they play with that kind of confidence and aggressiveness."

UIC will be back in action on Friday as they will travel to Ohio and square off with the Youngstown State Penguins at 6:00 p.m.