Oct. 11, 2009
Box Score
CHICAGO- The UIC volleyball team's three-match winning streak was snapped in a 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-19) loss to Valparaiso on Sunday at the Flames Athletic Center.
Lana Lobdell and Epiphany Davis led the Flames (10-11, 5-3 Horizon League) with eight kills apiece, while Jessica Dalke chipped in 27 assists.
Angie Porche led the Crusaders (13-6, 7-1 Horizon League) with a match-high 14 kills. Setter Kim Bukowski added 37 helpers.
"We have to be ready to go from point one," said UIC head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley. "We weren't crisp and we didn't take advantage of this great crowd."
Valpo broke open an early back-and-forth competition in the opening set with an 8-1 rally that gave the Crusaders enough of a lead to turn away a late UIC surge.
The Flames opened the second set with an 8-3 advantage that forced head coach Carin Avery to call a timeout, and the short break seemed to assist the visitors. The Crusaders would rattle off five straight points to even the frame, but the Flames fought back to take a four-point lead in the middle of the set and eventually go up 21-18 on a Nicole Allgood kill.
Valparaiso proceeded to outscore UIC 5-1 to take a 23-22 lead, and after a kill by Lobdell knotted the set again, two consecutive attack errors on the Flames gave the Crusaders the set and a 2-0 lead.
Most of the third set was controlled by Valparaiso, but the Flames would creep back at the midway point. From there the Crusaders would build a cushion that was good enough to stymie UIC rallies, and Bukowski's set-ending kill sealed the match.
"We must re-focus and be ready to go," Schumacher-Cawley said. "We have a huge weekend ahead at Milwaukee and Green Bay. We have a week of practice to gear up, get back on track and back to basics."
UIC heads to Wisconsin for a pair of critical league contests this weekend, beginning on Saturday night at Milwaukee.
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