Oct. 24, 2014
Box Score Photo Gallery
CHICAGO - The UIC volleyball team (11-12, 5-3 HL) won its fourth consecutive Horizon League contest with a 3-0 sweep (25-20, 25-16, 25-16) over Green Bay (3-16, 1-7 HL) Friday night. The Flames last won four straight conference contests during the 2012 season, when UIC advanced to the Horizon League Championship match.
UIC hit at a season-high .407 clip, which is the sixth highest mark in program history. The Flames put down 45 kills on 91 attempts and committed a season-low eight attack errors.
Junior Stephenee Yancy dominated the match with 21 kills on 32 attempts for a season-high .594 attack percentage. She had 9 kills in the first set and eight more in the second frame. Yancy's 21 kills are the most in a three-set match in the Horizon League.
Yancy's performance is her second straight with 20-plus kills and she owns five such efforts this season. She has put down double-digit kills in all 23 matches. Yancy added two blocks and has a League-high 38 blocks over the last eight contests.
Redshirt freshman Nicole Johnson dished out 40 assists, which is her second-highest three-set performance this season. She had 44 assists on Sept. 5 in the sweep over Chicago State.
Senior Maggie Strus compiled 11 digs to add to her program-record total of 1,578. She owns 19 double-digit dig performances this season.
Sophomore Kara Johnson put down nine kills on 22 attempts while Molly McCoy and Sara Jo Sternard added five kills apiece. Sternard also tied her career-high with three of UIC's five service aces and collected two more blocks. Sternard owns 305 career total blocks and needs three more to pass Mary Bloedorn (1979-82) into ninth place in program history.
Sophomore Casey Harris put down four kills and recorded her third consecutive three-block effort. She owns 17 blocks over the last seven contests.
Green Bay hit at a .406 clip in the first set to keep the score close but the Phoenix could not keep up with UIC in a 25-20 Flames' win. UIC put down 16 kills on 30 attempts for a .467 attack percentage and also recorded three service aces. With Green Bay up 4-2, the Flames distanced themselves with a 7-0 run that included four kills from Yancy.
The second set was tied 10-10 before a 4-0 run with McCoy serving allowed the Flames to pull away. UIC ended the set on a 5-0 run, which included three consecutive Yancy kills to seal the win. The Flames held Green Bay to a .111 attack percentage during the 25-16 victory.
The third set was tied 12-12 before a 6-0 run with Kara Johnson serving gave UIC the advantage. McCoy put down four kills on five attempts and UIC had three blocks in the 25-16 win.
UIC, who sits in fourth place in the Horizon League standings, concludes the home stand with a Saturday contest against third-place Milwaukee (12-10, 6-2 HL). First serve is set for 4 pm inside the Flames Athletic Center. The Panthers, who picked up a 3-1 win at Valparaiso Friday night, defeated the Flames over four sets on Sept. 26 at the Klotsche Center.
