Aug. 25, 2011

CHICAGO - The UIC volleyball team enters the 2011 season with several new faces joining the team, in addition to the return of 2010 all-Horizon League Conference selection, junior Kelsey Safranek (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) and redshirt junior co-captain Janise Dismuke (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods). The Flames open their campaign Friday at 2:30 p.m. (CT) against Nebraska-Omaha at the CEFCU Classic in Peoria, Ill., as Bradley plays host to the event and welcomes the first teams to compete in the recently finished Renaissance Coliseum.

The Flames look to Safranek and Dismuke to lead the team on the court as both have earned Horizon League honors. Safranek was selected to the all-conference team in 2010 and was named to the Horizon League Newcomer Team in 2009. Dismuke was named the League Player of the Week (Sept. 16, 2010), the Horizon League Network People Choice selection on Sept. 19, 2010, and led the League in hitting percentage (.311).

"Kelsey and Janise did a great job this summer," head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, who begins her third season at the helm of the program and ninth with the Flames said. "They both worked out a great deal and got themselves in the best shape possible. They had a great pre-season as far as being fit and are great teammates. They know what the goal of this program is, and I know they are doing the right thing by helping their younger teammates to put us in the right position."

Sophomore MaryKate Imrie also returns to the Flames roster, and along with Dismuke, she serves as a captain during the 2011 season.

The Flames roster added seven new faces to the 2011 roster, Dominique Aramburu (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley), Tracy Friel (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central), Tia Incapreo (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire), Tyler Jones (Chicago, Ill./Jones College Prep), Lauren Kraemer (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering-Fairmont), Molly McCoy (St. Charles, Ill./Wheaton Academy) and Sara Sternard (Clarendon Hills, Ill.).

"The newcomers and returners are working well together," Schumacher-Cawley said. "The new players are working hard every day, and it is great to see so many new players entering the program, while it is exciting to watch the other players continue to grow. They all know what we are trying to do here, and that is what is important."

The 2010 team completed the season with a 13-8 overall record, while compiling a 7-9 record against conference opponents. The Flames knocked off Youngstown, Loyola and Wright State in both appearances during the season, while defeating Green Bay at home. UIC squared off against Milwaukee in the first round of the Horizon League Championship, and fell to the Panthers, who were the regular season champions, in a 3-0 decision.

"This team's strength is their ability to compete," Schumacher-Cawley said. "They compete hard each day. They have come to practice every day wanting to compete and learn and they are great teammates because they push each other on the court, but are also good to each other off the court."

The team enters the season with several goals in mind, but one that remains consistent across the roster is a Horizon League Conference championship.

"Each player set goals for themselves and as a team," Schumacher-Cawley said. "They discuss winning the conference championship because it has never been done here at UIC, but I think we have a lot of work to do before we can get to that point. The Horizon League is competitive and every match is going to be tough since they only take six teams to the tournament. We have a lot of work to do and we will use these pre-season tournaments and non-conference matches to prepare for the Horizon League."

The Flames meet Nebraska-Omaha in their season opener Friday, followed by playing host team, Bradley, Saturday at 4:00 p.m. (CT). Remember to check back with UICFlames.com following the match for a complete recap and statistics from the match.