Nov. 4, 2011

Box Score

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The UIC volleyball team (14-12/7-7 Horizon) dropped a hard-fought match to Cleveland State (17-7/10-3 Horizon), 3-2 (20-25, 28-26, 32-30, 18-25, 11-15) Friday inside the Woodling Gymnasium in Cleveland, Ohio. Junior Kelsey Safranek (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) paced the Flames with 24 kills and added 15 digs to record a double-double.

Sophomore captain MaryKate Imrie (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) also logged a double-double for UIC with 47 assists and 12 digs, while fellow sophomore Aubrey Sniegowski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont Township) hit at a .269 clip and posted 10 kills. Freshman Dominique Aramburu (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley) and redshirt freshman Maggie Strus (Westmont, Ill./Stagg) led the Flames defensively with 20 digs a piece.

The Vikings opened the match by taking the first set, 25-20, but the Flames battled back to even the score with a second set victory. After UIC held leads of 12-8 and 18-12 in the frame, Cleveland State responded with a 5-0 run to move within a point (18-17). The two teams went back and forth for the remainder of the set, before Sniegowski and redshirt junior Janise Dismuke (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) clinched the 28-26 triumph with a pivotal block.

Another torrid back-and-forth pace highlighted exciting third set action, as the lead changed hands 16 times in the frame. Safranek propelled the Flames to a 2-1 set lead with the deciding kill to help UIC hold on for a 32-30 victory.

The Flames could not hold on to the momentum and dropped the fourth set, 18-25, before falling in the final frame, 11-15.

UIC returns to action Saturday afternoon in a match against Youngstown State at 3:00 p.m. (CT) in Youngstown, Ohio.