Oct. 15, 2014
Horizon League Statistics
Horizon League Standings
CHICAGO - The UIC volleyball team (9-12, 3-3 HL) seeks its third consecutive Horizon League victory Friday night (Oct. 17) when the Flames play at Valparaiso (17-3, 4-2 HL). UIC swept Wright State (Oct. 10) and first-place Oakland (Oct. 11) last weekend to even its conference record.
A LOOK AT VALPARAISO
Nickname: Crusaders
Head Coach: Carin Avery (13th season)
2013 Record: 25-8, 10-4 HL
Preseason Poll: Picked 2nd
Series History: Valpo leads 25-23
Last Meeting: Valpo won 3-0 (Oct. 26, 2013 at Valpo)
Streak: Valpo has won two straight
2014 Leader in:
Kills - Emily Campbell (279 kills)
Assists - Kelsey Berrington (770 assists)
Service Aces - Kelsey Berrington (21 aces)
Digs - Morganne Longoria (319 digs)
Blocks - Kelsey Victor (74 blocks)
UIC MATCH NOTES
YANCY NAMED HORIZON LEAGUE CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior Stephenee Yancy was named the Horizon League's "Co-Offensive Player of the Week" for the period of Oct. 6-12, it was announced by the conference office Monday morning. The accolade was Yancy's second weekly honor this season as she also earned the award on Sept. 22.
Yancy leads the Horizon League with a .353 attack percentage and 4.17 kills per set. Her 27-kill performance against DePaul (Sept. 6) is the League's best offensive effort.
Yancy, who spent the last two seasons with Western Michigan, ranks sixth in the nation with 338 kills and 31st in kills per set. She has put down double-digit kills in all 21 matches, owns three 20-plus kill performances and has been named to three all-tournament teams.
Yancy has also been a strong presence at the net as she ranks eighth in the Horizon League with 70 total blocks. During Horizon League play, Yancy leads all conference players with 34 blocks. She collected a career-high nine blocks in the sweep over Green Bay (Sept. 27).
If the season ended today, Yancy would finish second in UIC's single-season record book for attack percentage. Yancy is on pace to finish the season with over 480 kills, which would rank among the program's top 10 single-season efforts.
JOHNSON ONE OF THE NATION'S BEST SETTERS
Redshirt freshman Nicole Johnson has put up historic numbers in her first season as UIC's setter. She leads the nation with 936 assists and ranks fifth with 11.56 assists per set. Johnson is on pace to finish the season with over 1,330 assists, which would rank in the program's top 10 single-season efforts.
Johnson leads the Horizon League in assists and owns the League's top five assist performances. She had 52 assists against East Carolina (Sept. 19) for her seventh 50-plus assist effort.
Johnson's career-high of 67 assists against Western Illinois (Sept. 13) are the most by a UIC player since Katie Kozak had 68 against Youngstown State on Oct. 14, 2005. Johnson was named the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 8 after averaging 56.33 assists per match at the Windy City Invitational.
Johnson also owns six double-doubles and ranks eighth in the Horizon League with 21 service aces. Johnson's four aces against East Carolina is the second best five-set performance in the Horizon League.
STRUS A UIC PROGRAM RECORD HOLDER
Senior Maggie Strus compiled 21 digs over the weekend to increase her program-record career total to 1,554. She is on pace to finish her career with over 1,680 career digs, which would rank tenth in the Horizon League's history.
Strus broke Carlyn Fisk's (1988-91) program record of 1,532 on Oct. 4 with 16 digs against Youngstown State. She ranks eighth in the Horizon League with 3.75 digs per set and has three 20-plus efforts.
Strus, who set UIC's single-season record with 600 digs in 2012, owns 17 double-digit performances this season. Strus' season-high of 23 digs in the win over Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 12) is the fourth highest four-set effort in the Horizon League.
STERNARD CLIMBS THE KILLS CHART
Senior Sara Jo Sternard, a 2014 Preseason All-Horizon League Team selection, had 16 kills over the weekend. She owns 945 career kills and needs 55 more to become the 16th member of UIC's 1,000 Kills Club. Sternard is on pace to finish with over 1,020 career kills.
Sternard ranks second on UIC in attack percentage (.268) and total blocks (53). Sternard ranks sixth in program history with 73 solo blocks and tenth with 302 total blocks.
Sternard's 13-kill performance against Chicago State on only 19 attempts with zero errors (.684 attack percentage) is the Horizon League's second most efficient. Her .282 attack percentage during Horizon League contests ranks eighth in the conference.
JOHNSON'S TEN DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Sophomore Kara Johnson had 20 kills and 15 digs over the weekend while recording her 17th double-digit kill effort with 13 kills at Oakland. Johnson's last double-double, 12 kills and 12 digs at Milwaukee (Sept. 26), was her team-high tenth.
Johnson ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 3.23 kills per set and second on UIC with 207 digs. She owns 14 double-doubles in her brief UIC career.
Johnson put down a career-high 23 kills to go along with 11 digs against Western Illinois (Sept. 13). Her 23 kills against WIU is the third-highest performance in the Horizon League.
MCCOY'S THIRD DOUBLE-DIGIT DIG EFFORT
Senior Molly McCoy had 14 kills and 17 digs over the weekend, including 12 digs at Oakland for the third double-digit effort of her career. She owns two double-digit dig performances over her last three matches and is averaging 3.3 digs per set over that span after 0.63 per set in the first 18 contests of the season.
McCoy owns seven double-digit kill efforts and ranks third on the squad with 185 kills. She is on pace to finish her career with over 740 kills.
HORIZON LEAGUE RANKINGS
As a team, UIC leads the Horizon League in kills and assists. The Flames are averaging 12.99 assists on 13.77 kills per set. On the other side of the net, UIC leads the conference by limiting opponents to 11.99 digs per set. Elsewhere, the Flames rank second by limiting opponents to 11.37 assists per set.
2014 STATISTICAL IMPROVEMENTS
Through 21 contests, the 2014 UIC Flames have shown statistical improvements over the 2013 squad. The Flames are hitting 69 points higher (.219 - .150) and putting down nearly two more kills per set (13.77 - 11.89). UIC ranks 27th in the nation with 12.99 assists per set and 36th with 13.77 kills per set.
