Aug. 25, 2006

Chicago, Ill. - Despite a hard fought battle, the UIC volleyball team fell to Valparaiso in four games (30-28, 28-30, 35-33, 30-27) Friday night to open its 2006 season at the Flames Athletic Center. UIC is now set to battle 2005 Horizon League Tournament champion Loyola at 11:00 a.m., followed by a two-match break before wrapping up the 2006 Chicagoland Challenge versus DePaul at 7:00 p.m on Saturday.

Valparaiso tallied 69 kills and had four players finish in double-digits. The Flames closed out the night totaling 65 kills with senior Ambria Springer and junior Katarina Nedeljkovic leading UIC with 17 kills each. Freshman Katerina Hanackova posted a stellar UIC debut with ten kills and a team-high .320 attack percentage.

The Flames took the early lead in game one before the Crusaders earned six straight points to only trail UIC, 22-21. Valpo continued to inch its way past the Flames for the 30-28 victory. Nedeljkovic paced UIC with six kills, while transfer Amanda Kenny led the squad with five digs.

UIC bounced back, sparking a 4-2 run to start off game two. Always a few points ahead, the Flames tied up the match with the 30-28 victory.

The Crusaders trailed the Flames for most of game three before knotting it up at 29-29. The two teams traded points before Valpo's Tiffany Meikle earned two straight points for the win, 35-33.

Game four proved to be a heartbreaker for the Flames after gaining a three-point advantage late in the game (20-17) before the Crusaders closed out the match with a 13-7 run.

UIC battles Loyola at 11:00 a.m. and DePaul at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday at the 2006 Chicagoland Challenge.