Aug. 27, 2009
CHICAGO-The UIC volleyball program opened a new chapter in its history in December, with a familiar author. Katie Schumacher-Cawley took over the program after spending the last six seasons as an assistant coach at UIC.
Schumacher-Cawley comes into her first season at the head of the Flames' program with the goal to be constantly improving.
"Our goals are taking practice one day at a time and getting better with every contact," Schumacher-Cawley said. "We need to be prepared every time we step on the floor and compete at the highest level."
On the sidelines with Schumacher-Cawley will be Sara Hughes, Ellen Hayes and Dan Buehring. Hughes, who played collegiately at Horizon League member Valparaiso, returns for her second year as an assistant coach on the UIC volleyball staff, while Hayes is a new addition. Hayes comes to the Flames after two years as an assistant at Marshall, but played in college just across town at DePaul. Buehring will serve as a volunteer assistant and was a two-time NAIA national title winner at California Baptist.
"I am looking forward to starting the season," Schumacher-Cawley said. "I feel that we have a great staff that is willing to do whatever it takes to make a difference here."
Ten returnees and four newcomers will make up the roster for the first year of Schumacher-Cawley's tenure. Seniors Lana Lobdell and Emily Schaffer will provide leadership for the UIC squad, while five juniors help anchor the upperclassman portion of the team. A trio of sophomores and four freshmen round out the 2009 Flames roster.
"We have two seniors who will be looked to for leadership on and off the floor," Schumacher-Cawley said. "Every player will have the opportunity to compete in their position. I am excited to see who will rise to the challenge."
SETTERS
Returning: Junior Jessica Dalke (5.75 aps, 30 sa), Junior Dana Van Syckle (5.93 aps, 27 sa)
Both Dalke and Van Syckle saw significant time on the court in 2008, with Dalke leading the team with 607 assists and Van Syckle not far behind with 575. Van Syckle started 14 matches for the 2008 Flames, while Dalke started the remaining 18. Both setters managed to play in almost every match, however.
Van Syckle bounced back from a mid-season knee surgery her freshman year with her strong sophomore campaign, while Dalke made her impact in her first year in a Flames uniform after transferring from Mississippi. In addition to their setting prowess, the pair are also two of UIC's most prolific servers, with Dalke recording 30 aces in 2008 to Van Syckle's 27. Dalke's total last season was good for second on the roster, with Van Syckle taking third.
MIDDLE BLOCKERS
Returning: Senior Lana Lobdell (0.77 bps, 88 tb), Junior Epiphany Davis (0.92 bps, 98 tb), Sophomore Chelsea Sloan (0.76 bps, 17 sp)
Newcomer: Freshmen Nicole Allgood
The duo of Lobdell and Davis accounted for just more than 85 percent of the Flames' 217.5 total blocks last year, chipping in for 88 and 98, respectively. Both totals were good for top ten in the Horizon League a year ago.
Sloan saw limited action, appearing in 17 sets during the course of the season. In those 17 sets, however, Sloan posted a block per set average of 0.76. That number set her third on the squad, just behind Davis' 0.92 and Lobdell's 0.77.
Allgood comes to the program as a transfer from the University of Louisville. A highly-decorated prep player who led her South Oldham, Ky. high school team to four state tournament appearances, Allgood will retain four years of eligibility, as she redshirted at Louisville last season.
OUTSIDE HITTERS
Returning: Junior Casie Sullivan (2.74 kps, 853 ta), Sophomore Janise Dismuke (1 ta, 2 mp)
Newcomers: Freshmen Aubrey Sniegowski, Freshmen Kelsey Safranek
Sullivan returns for her junior campaign after posting the second-highest kill total on the UIC squad a year ago. As a sophomore, Sullivan posted 296 kills with 853 attempts. Her kills per set average was 2.74, with the second-year Flame starting 29 of UIC's 32 matches.
Dismuke, a sophomore who saw the floor in just two matches as a rookie last season, and newcomers Sniegowski and Safranek will also be looking to get in the mix. Sniegowski comes to the Flames from Lemont Township, where she led her prep squad to a pair of IHSA regional titles. Safranek led her Downers Grove South team to three conference titles and was a three-time all-conference selection.
DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS
Returning: Senior Emily Schaffer (2.06 dps, 0.10 saps), Junior Taylor Szatkowski (2.81 dps, 0.19 saps), Sophomore Kate Eldred (0.67 dps, 0.00 saps)
Newcomer: Freshmen Jacqueline Lang
Schaffer and Szatkowski handled the bulk of the libero duties a year ago, with both defensive specialists seeing the court in 23 matches last season. Szatkowski posted a digs per set average of 2.81 on the year with 219 digs, while Schaffer's dps was 2.06 with 140 digs.
Eldred will move from the outside hitter/right side position on the court to help out with libero duties in her sophomore season. As a sophomore, Eldred came off the bench in five matches.
Lang is a local product, coming to UIC from Marist High School, where she helped the Redhawks to a pair of regional titles. She was a two-time all-East Suburban Catholic Conference selection, and was named second team All-Area in both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune her senior season.
SCHEDULE
On tap in 2009 for the Flames is a schedule that features a flurry of tournaments to open the year, followed by a tough double-run though the Horizon League.
UIC opens its season at the Northern Illinois Invitational Aug. 28, with matches slated against Stephen F. Austin, Western Illinois, Southern Illinois and the host Huskies. The Flames will then head to Bloomington, Ind., for the IU adidas Classic, hosted by Indiana University. While at IU, UIC will face off against Tennessee-Martin, Kentucky, Murray State and the home-court Hoosiers. Both Kentucky and Indiana floated just outside the AVCA Top 25 rankings a season ago.
The Flames close out their tournament schedule with the UIC Invitational at the Flames Athletic Center Sept. 11-12. The FAC will play host to Duquesne, Georgia State and Michigan State for the event, with UIC playing all three schools during the tournament's two days.
"Our non-conference tournaments will be an excellent test in preparing us for the Horizon League," Schumacher-Cawley said. "We accomplished a lot during the spring season, and we are excited about raising the bar of excellence this upcoming season. This team is hungry to compete and eager to prove what they can do."
Other non-conference tilts on the schedule include single matches against Chicago State, Western Michigan, Robert Morris, DePaul and Western Illinois.
UIC will also meet up with each of the eight Horizon League schools twice in 2009, leading up to the 2009 Horizon League Volleyball Championships Nov. 19-22.
