Oct. 2, 2010
Box Score
INDIANAPOLIS - With two Horizon League road games on the weekend slate, the UIC volleyball team had the opportunity to make a lot of noise in the conference, however they settled for a split after dropping Saturday's match at Butler, 3-0 (20-25, 25-27, 22-25).
UIC (8-8, 3-3 Horizon League) was inconsistent offensively throughout the match, committing 26 attacking errors. The defense was solid, out-digging the Bulldogs, 68-57, but that was not enough to overcome the home team.
In the first set, UIC jumped out to an 11-7 lead before the Bulldogs rattled off four straight points, prompting a timeout by UIC head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley. The stoppage temporarily halted the Butler momentum; however the Flames would not regain the lead in the first, falling, 25-20. UIC stayed close with three blocks and 21 digs, but struggled offensively in the first set, collecting 10 kills and committing 11 errors in the frame.
The offensive woes continued to plague UIC into the second set when the team hit just .058 (12-9-52) as a group. Through two sets, senior Casie Sullivan led all players in the match with 14 kills; unfortunately, no one on her own team had more than three to that point.
Butler looked like it was prepared to roll right through the Flames in the third set, but UIC had other ideas. Trailing by as many as 10 points at 17-7, the road team mounted a ferocious comeback, outscoring the Bulldogs 13-to-five to cut the deficit to two t 22-20. They sliced it again to 24-22 before bowing out on a kill by Butler's Susan Lester who led her team with 10 in the match.
Sullivan tallied a season-high 18 kills in the match, tops amongst all players. The senior also recorded her team-high sixth double-double of the season with 12 digs, second-most for the Flames.
For UIC, the loss was the first of the season in a true road game, having gone without a defeat in three previous efforts at DePaul, North Florida and Wright State.
The Flames will be back at home, however, on Tuesday, Oct. 5, when they host the Horizon League's other undefeated squad, Milwaukee, at the Physical education Building at 7 p.m. The Green Bay Phoenix invade Chicago the following evening at 7 p.m. for another Horizon League clash.
"We need to get right in the gym on Monday," said Schumacher-Cawley. "We have two more huge matches this week to prepare for."
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