Sept. 12, 2006

UIC vs. Northern Illinois Game Notes in PDF Format
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Chicago, Ill. - The UIC volleyball team (4-7) heads to Dekalb, Ill. Tuesday night for a matchup against Northern Illinois at 7:00 p.m. Following tonight's contest, the Flames are set to host the UIC Invitational at the Flames Athletic Center, Sept. 15-16.

The Flames and NIU last met in UIC's home opener last season. UIC took the early lead with a 2-0 advantage, but the Huskies battled back, knotting the match up and forcing a fifth-game decision. The teams exchanged points and tied several times in game five before NIU earned two straight points for the 19-17 win.

On the season, UIC senior Ambria Springer leads the Flames with 145 kills and 48 blocks. Libero Julie Popp dominates on defense with 147 digs and setter Katie Kozak guides UIC with 435 assists and 16 service aces.

After recording 106 assists in last weekend's Blue Raider Bash Tournament, Kozak now ranks second in the UIC career records book with 3,599. The senior is 580 assists from capturing first place, which is currently held by Erica Anderson with 4,178 assists from 1998-2000.

Northern Illinois is coming off a 2-1 showing at the UConn Toyota Tournament last weekend. The Huskies swept Boston College and Quinnipiac before being dropped by Connecticut in three games for a second-place finish. Overall, NIU is led by sophomore Katie Walsh with 158 kills and 27 total blocks.

Posting a .299 attack percentage for the Huskies, junior Laura Baetzel guides NIU, while senior Gina Guide paces the Huskies on defense, averaging 5.94 digs per game. Jody Hardwick leads Northern Illinois with 17 service aces and sophomore Irene Johnson has been productive at the net with 17 blocks.

The Flames host the UIC Invitational at the Flames Athletic Center, Sept. 15-16. UIC faces Western Illinois on Sept. 15 at 5:00 p.m., followed by two matches on Saturday against North Texas at 11:00 a.m. and Western Michigan at 7:00 p.m.