Nov. 17, 2011
CHICAGO - The fifth-seeded UIC volleyball team (14-14/7-9 Horizon) opens the Horizon League Tournament against No. 4 Valparaiso (19-13/9-7 Horizon) in the quarterfinals Friday at 4:30 p.m. (CT) inside the Klotsche Center in Milwaukee, Wis.
SCOUTING THE FLAMES: UIC has posted a 14-14 record with a 7-9 record in Horizon League play and is the fifth seed in the Horizon League Championship. Kelsey Safranek (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) has hammered down 455 kills on the season to place her atop the conference list of kills per set at a clip of 4.42. Freshman Sara Sternard (Clarendon Hills, Ill./Westmont) and junior redshirt captain Janise Dismuke (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) are in eighth place (.278) and 10th place (.272), in that order in the league for hitting percentage. Sophomore captain MaryKate Imrie (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) is second in the Horizon League in assists per set with 10.88.
SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS: Valparaiso enters the matchup with the Flames with a 19-13 record (9-7 Horizon). Freshman Morgan Beil ranks fifth in the league in hitting percentage with .291 and earned all-Horizon League and all-Newcomer accolades. Taylor Root, The 2011 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, ranks second with 618 digs (5.37/set) in the League. The final Crusader named to the all-League team is junior setter Jenny Pokorny, who has 1,118 assists and is sixth in the league.
FLAMES AND CRUSADERS IN 2011: The Flames are 0-2 against Valparaiso this season as the squad dropped 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-13) in the conference opener Sept. 14 inside the Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Ind. In that match, Safranek had a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. The teams met up again Oct. 14 inside the Flames Athletic Center in Chicago, Ill., where the Crusaders handled UIC 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-21). Safranek led all players in the match with 14 kills.
LAST TIME OUT: The UIC volleyball team dropped 3-1 to Milwaukee Nov. 12 inside the Flames Athletic Center in Chicago, Ill. Imrie notched a double-double with 37 assists and 14 digs, while Safranek knocked down 16 kills and added eight digs in the Flames effort.
ALL-LEAGUE HONOREES: Safranek was selected to the all-Horizon League team, while Sternard earned all-Newcomer accolades. The 2011 season marks Safranek's third-consecutive season to earn all-Horizon League honors. As a freshman (2009), Safranek was selected to the all-Newcomer team, followed by being named to the all-Horizon League team as a sophomore.
HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDS: Regular season champion, Milwaukee, (15-0) plays host to the Horizon League Championship. No. 1 Milwaukee and No. 2 Cleveland State both have a bye for the quarterfinal round. Fifth-seeded UIC faces No. 4 Valparaiso Friday at 4:30 p.m. (CT) in the quarterfinals, while third-seeded Butler plays No. 6 Green Bay Friday at 7:00 p.m. The lowest remaining seed plays No. 1 Milwaukee Saturday at 2:30 p.m., followed by the highest remaining seed versus Cleveland State at 5:00 p.m. The championship match will be played Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
FLAMES AT THE 2010 LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: In 2010 the team traveled to Milwaukee to face Cleveland State and fell 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-17) in the quarterfinals inside the Klotsche Center in Milwaukee, Wis. The Flames were unable to find an offensive rhythm as the squad hit at .136, and were outdug by the Vikings 47-41.
2010 HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP OUTCOME: During the 2010 Horizon League Championship, the second-seeded Butler Bulldogs swept (25-22, 25-22, 25-16) No. 4 Valparaiso in the championship match. Butler upset top-seeded Milwaukee in the semifinals in a 3-0 (25-7, 27-25, 25-23) outcome.
FLAMES ON A ROLL: The UIC squad began the season on a five-match winning streak as the team defeated Nebraska-Omaha (3-1), Bradley (3-0), Western Illinois (3-1), DePaul (3-1) and Montana State (3-1). The five-match winning streak marked the best start a Flames volleyball team has had since 2000 when the squad began the season with a 6-0 run. Before the 3-0 loss to Milwaukee, UIC had its second five-match winning streak, beginning with a victory over Chicago State (3-0), Loyola (3-1), Green Bay (3-2), Butler (3-2) and Wright State (3-0).
FLAMES PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Safranek and Sternard have both been selected as the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week. Safranek earned the honor during the week of Sept. 5 after her stellar play at the Dunn Hospitality Invitational where she totaled 55 kills at a clip of .202, while chipping in 33 digs and three service aces to earn herself a spot on the all-tournament team. Sternard was selected for the week of Sept. 19 after her solid play in the 3-1 victory over Loyola (Sept. 23), followed by edging out Green Bay, 3-2 on Sept. 24. Sternard had eight kills at a clip of .538 against the Ramblers and 12 kills with a .600 hitting percentage against Green Bay.
ALL-TOURNAMENT SELECTIONS: The Flames began their season at Bradley's tournament, the CEFCU Classic, where Dismuke returned to her hometown to be selected as the tournament MVP, while Safranek and Imrie were named to the all-tournament team. UIC then welcomed DePaul, Loyola and Northwestern to the Flames Athletic Facility for the Chicagoland Challenge and Safranek and Sternard earned all-tournament honors. During the final tournament, the Dunn Hospitality Invitational, Safranek was again selected as a member of the all-tournament team.
--UIC—
