Sept. 4, 2010
Final Stats
CHICAGO - The UIC volleyball team returned to the Pavilion 13 hours after it's last match and knocked off the Kennesaw State Owls in the third match of the UIC Invitational, 3-1 (25-21, 18-25, 25-20, 25-20).
For the second straight day, the Flames (2-2) came out ready to play, earning a win in the opening set, 25-21. Trailing by one, 10-11, Janise Dismuke hammered home a kill on an assist from Jessica Dalke to tie the score and they would never look back. Three straight kills by sophomore Kelsey Safranek sealed the deal and gave UIC the early lead.
Kennesaw State (2-4) rallied back in the second set behind seven kills form both Alyssa Lang and Sabrita Gulley to win 25-18.Gulley led all players in the match with 16 kills.
Looking to avoid a repeat of Friday night's loss to Memphis, UIC came out loose in the third set. The Flames led by as many as seven points several times throughout the set and hung on to win, 25-20.
UIC continued to play well in the fourth game, capturing another 25-20 win and its second match victory of the young campaign. The hustle and determination was something that did not go unnoticed by head coach Katie-Schumacher Cawley.
"We fought hard at the end," said the second-year head coach. "Our subs did a great job off the bench. We scrambled on defense and had a lot of fight in the fourth game to finish it there."
MaryKate Imrie, Kate Eldred and Justine Garcia each came off the bench and played a key role for the Flames. Imrie had four digs in her collegiate debut, Eldred recorded a service ace and Garcia tallied six digs and an ace of her own.
Several familiar names chipped in as well for UIC. Senior Casie Sullivan led her team with 15 kills, while classmate Jessica Dalke recorded a match-high 48 assists. Senior Taylor Szatkowski started her first match of the season and did not disappoint while digging out a match-high 23 balls.
The Flames will be right back at the UIC Pavilion later on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. when they host in-state rival Northern Illinois.
"We play the Huskies every year and its always a great battle," said Schumacher-Cawley. "I expect us to be up for the challenge again tonight."
