Oct. 15, 2010
CLEVELAND - The UIC volleyball team will play eight of its final ten regular season matches on the road beginning this weekend with a trip to Ohio to take on Horizon League rivals Cleveland State and Youngstown State.
The Flames (9-11, 4-4 Horizon League) find themselves in the middle of the current conference standings after one spin through league play. UIC took care of the four teams below them - Youngstown State, Loyola, Wright State and Green Bay - the first time around in 2010, while falling to the four teams ahead of them - Cleveland State, Valparaiso, Butler and Milwaukee.
On Friday the Flames face a Cleveland State squad that ranks at or near the top of nearly every statistical category in the Horizon League. The Vikings are leading in hitting percentage (.238) and opponent hitting percentage (.136), rank second in assists (12.90 per set), kills (13.79 per set) and third in blocks (2.21 per set).
Friday's match at Woodling Gym in Cleveland begins at 6 p.m. and can be seen live for free on the Horizon League Network. Click the link to watch the match.
Less than 24 hours after taking the Vikings, UIC will be in Youngstown, Ohio to face the Penguins at 1 p.m. Youngstown State is looking to snap an 11-match losing skid and enters Saturday's contest in search of its first Horizon League win of the season.
The Penguins rank fourth in the Horizon League in blocks this year with an average of 2.09 per set. Freshman Jenna Cavanaugh has been a bright spot this season as she ranks third in the conference with 1.05 blocks per set in her rookie campaign. Another freshman, Brittany McNeal, ranks eighth in the Horizon League with 3.27 digs per set this season.
Saturday's match can also be seen right here on the Horizon League Network.
"We need to continue to work hard as team," said UIC head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley. "We need to fight for every single point we get and to do that we need to remain focused at all times.
"We've prepared this week for tough teams in Cleveland State and Youngstown State," said Schumacher-Cawley. "We have to learn from these last couple non-conference matches and use them to prepare for the second half of the Horizon League schedule which begins this weekend."
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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.
