Sept. 8, 2009
MATCH 8:
UIC FLAMES (2-5)
vs.
Eastern Illinois (4-4)
Tuesday, Sept. 8 * 7:00 p.m. Central
Lantz Arena * Charleston, Ill.
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The UIC volleyball team takes to the road this evening for a non-conference tilt with Eastern Illinois.
The Flames and the Panthers will face off at 7 p.m. from Lantz Arena at Eastern Illinois.
UIC comes into the EIU match after spending the weekend at the IU adidas Classic hosted by Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. The Flames posted a 1-2 record at the tournament, defeating Murray State 3-1 before falling to Tennessee-Martin 3-1 and host IU 3-0.
Junior Casie Sullivan is currently leading the Flames' offense with 77 total kills on the year. The Kewanee, Ill. native is coming off of a weekend in which she set a new career-high for kills in a match, sending down 18 balls against Murray State last Friday. Not far behind Sullivan are senior Lana Lobdell, who has 71 kills and redshirt-freshman Nicole Allgood, who boasts 70 kills as a Flames rookie.
Lobdell leads the team in hitting percentage, posting a .338 clip. Her percentage is good for fifth in the Horizon League, while her team-high 25 blocks puts her seventh in the circuit.
Junior setter Jessica Dalke leads the team in assists, dishing out 270 thus far in 2009. Dalke's total lands her in a tie for second in the league in helpers, while she also leads the Flames in digs with 75.
EIU is coming off of a pair of third-place tournament finishes to start the year, taking third at both the IPFW Invitational and the Denver Invitational. Tonight's match is the home opener for the squad, who is led by junior Alex Zwettler with 103 kills on the year.
After tonight's match, UIC opens its own home slate, hosting the UIC Invitational this Friday and Saturday. Duquesne, Georgia State and Michigan State will descend upon the Flames Athletic Center for the event.
Fans can listen to podcasts featuring exclusive interviews with UIC head coaches, staff and student-athletes in two ways:
1. Download the free UIC Athletics Widget and click on the "UIC Flames Podcasts" link
2. Download podcasts for free on iTunes by searching "UIC Flames."
Fans wishing to learn more about affordable and flexible UIC ticket plans are encouraged to call 312-413-UIC1 or visit www.uicflames.com and click on the "Tickets" tab on the Flames home page.
