Jan. 25, 2013

CHICAGO - The UIC volleyball team held its 2012 post-season awards banquet Jan. 20 inside the Marriott Chicago, where head coach Katie-Schumacher-Cawley and her staff honored their five seniors and distributed four team awards to five recipients.

Following the luncheon, the student-athletes who received preseason, post-season, weekly and tournament awards from the Horizon League Conference were acknowledged, as well as the UICFlames.com Student-Athlete of the Week recipients.

Junior setter MaryKate Imrie was selected as the team's "Most Valuable Player". Sophomore Sara Sternard and senior Jacqueline Lang received the "Spirit Award", while senior Aubrey Sniegowski was named the "Most Improved Player" and junior Justine Garcia was awarded the Unity-Integrity-Commitment (UIC) Award, which is the only award voted on by the coaching staff.

Imrie garnered "Most Valuable Player" after completing the season with the most League assists with 1,377 for 11.20 per set. She also collected the top-two most assists in a single match with 63, including one being during a 3-2 Horizon League Championship victory over Valparaiso. The other came when she dished out 61 helpers in a 3-2 win over Milwaukee. The junior also led the League in double-double performances with 19.

Sniegowski was selected as the "Most Improved Player" as the senior was named to the all-Horizon League team. She assisted her team to the Horizon League Championship match for just the second time in school history. During the Horizon League Championship, Sniegowski totaled 38 kills and an attack percentage of .380.

Aubrey Sniegowski was named the Most Improved Player.

Sara Sternard and Jacqueline Lang received the Spirit Award.

Sternard and Lang earned the "Spirit Award" for their energy and positive attitudes on and off of the court. Garcia rounded out the team awards as she was selected as the Unity-Integrity-Commitment (UIC) recipient, the only award voted on by the coaching staff. The award winner encompasses the core principles of the UIC volleyball program.

Justine Garcia received the U-I-C Award.

In addition to the awards, the five seniors, Nicole Allgood, Janise Dismuke, Jacqueline Lang, Kelsey Safranek and Aubrey Sniegowski were thanked for their dedication to the program, and each of them had the opportunity to express the significant impact that volleyball had on their life while at UIC and for the many years ahead.

--UIC—