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ROCHESTER, Mich. - The UIC volleyball team (14-17) concluded its season with a 3-0 loss (25-22, 25-22, 25-22) to Valparaiso (25-7) Friday night. The contest was the first Quarterfinal match of the Horizon League Championship. No. 3 Valparaiso advances to the Semifinals Saturday to face No. 2 Milwaukee.

Valparaiso only put down two more kills than UIC (44-42) but the Flames were held to a .184 attack percentage while the Crusaders hit at a .236 clip. Valparaiso also aced UIC six times and forced the Flames into 21 attack errors.

Junior Stephenee Yancy, the Horizon League Co-Player of the Year, led UIC with 11 kills and six blocks. She finished the season ranked tenth in the nation with 512 kills. She is the fifth player in program history to put down 500 kills in a single season.

Yancy concluded the 2014 campaign with a .358 attack percentage, which breaks the program record held by Kathy Berg (.354 in 1998). Yancy's .358 attack percentage is the tenth highest single-season mark in Horizon League history.

Redshirt freshman Nicole Johnson, the Horizon League Freshman of the Year, had 38 assists and seven digs. She concluded the season ranked third in the nation with 1,365 assists, which is eighth in a single-season in program history. Johnson also had seven double-doubles and led the squad with 26 service aces.

Redshirt senior Maggie Strus compiled 12 digs in her final match at UIC and concluded her career with a program-record 1,677 digs. Strus' dig total ranks 11th in the history of the Horizon League.

Senior Sara Jo Sternard had eight kills on ten attempts for a strong .700 attack percentage and concluded her UIC career with 1,023 kills. Sternard, who also had two aces Friday, is the 16th member of UIC's 1,000 Kills Club. She also ranks fifth in program history with 81 solo blocks and ninth with 327 total blocks.

Sophomore Kara Johnson put down 10 kills on 31 attempts to finish the season with seven consecutive double-digit performances and 25 overall. She concluded the season with 384 kills and owns 688 after two years on campus. Johnson also enters her junior season with 505 digs and 16 double-doubles.

In her final match at UIC, senior Molly McCoy had 10 kills and 12 digs to record her fourth career double-double. She had three double-doubles over her final 13 matches after one in her previous three-plus seasons. McCoy finished her career with 745 kills.

Freshman Allie O'Reilly shared the team lead with 12 digs. She finished her initial collegiate campaign with 244 digs and ten double-digit performances.

UIC took a 7-3 lead early in the first set before Valparaiso scored five consecutive points. The Flames narrowed the Crusaders' lead to 20-19 on Nicole Johnson's service ace but that was the closest UIC would get in a 25-22 Valparaiso victory.

Valparaiso jumped out to a 13-7 lead in the second set before UIC rallied back. The Flames trimmed the Crusaders' lead to 16-15 on Yancy's second kill of the set. Valparaiso responded with a 3-0 run and UIC never got within two the rest of the way in a 25-22 win for the Crusaders.

Valparaiso was up 12-4 in the third set but UIC tied the set at 20-20 on Sternard's second ace of the night. Following a kill by Co-Player of the Year Emily Campbell, Yancy put down her fifth kill of the set to tie the score at 21-21. Yancy had one more kill but Valparaiso scored four out of the final five points to secure the match victory.

The 2014 UIC Flames showed statistical improvements over the 2013 squad. The Flames hit 69 points higher (.219 - .150) and put down nearly two more kills per set (13.88 - 11.89). UIC ranked 34th nationally with 13.88 kills per set and 31st with 13.00 assists per set. Additionally, UIC's NCAA RPI ranking improved by 73 spots (193 - 266).