Sept. 8, 2014
Horizon League Statistics 2014 Prospectus
Media Photo Day
Printable Poster
Printable Schedule Card
CHICAGO - The UIC volleyball team (2-4) will make the two-hour trip south Tuesday night (Sept. 9) to play at Illinois State (3-4). UIC and ISU have met ten times, most recently at the 2008 Chicago Classic. First serve is set for 6 pm from inside Redbird Arena.
A LOOK AT ILLINOIS STATE Nickname: Redbirds
Conference: Missouri Valley
Head Coach: Melissa Myers (7th season)
2013 Record: 19-13, 11-7 MVC
Series History: ISU leads 9-1
Last Meeting: ISU won 3-1 (Sept. 13, 2008 at Chicago Classic) Streak: ISU has won the last three meetings
2014 Leader in: Kills - Ashley Rosch (106 kills)
Assists - Kaitlyn Early (312 assists)
Aces - Kaitlyn Early (10 aces)
Digs - Emily Orrick (165 digs)
Blocks - Jaelyn Keene (35 blocks)
UIC MATCH NOTES YANCY NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM Junior middle blocker Stephenee Yancy, who spent the last two seasons with Western Michigan, broke out in a big way at the Windy City Invitational. Yancy was named to the All-Tournament Team after 57 kills on 99 attempts for a .404 attack percentage and 11 total blocks. She extended her double-digit kill streak to six matches and averaged 19 kills per match during the tournament.
Yancy only needed 39 attempts against DePaul to tally a career-high 27 kills with a .590 attack percentage. Yancy is putting down a team-high 4.00 kills per set this season and hitting at a .324 clip.
STRUS SEEKS PROGRAM RECORD Senior Maggie Strus compiled a team-high 48 digs over the weekend at the Windy City Invitational. Strus, who leads the squad with 89 digs, had 20 digs in the four-set win over DePaul for her second 20-plus effort of the season.
Strus owns 1,339 career digs and needs 24 more digs to pass Ilene O'Connell (1982-85) for fifth place in program history. Strus, who set UIC's single-season record with 600 digs in 2012, needs 193 more digs to become UIC's all-time dig leader.
JOHNSON'S TWO DOUBLE-DOUBLES Sophomore
Kara Johnson was strong offensively and defensively at the Windy City Invitational as she collected two double-doubles. She put down a season-high 19 kills against Syracuse to go along with a career-high 14 digs. Johnson then had 11 kills and 13 digs against DePaul for her second straight double-double and third of the season.
Johnson ranks second on the team with 83 kills and third with 62 digs. She already owns seven double-doubles in her brief UIC career.
STERNARD EFFICIENT IN THE MIDDLE Senior Sara Jo Sternard, a 2014 Preseason All-Horizon League Team selection, hit at a team-high .419 clip at the Windy City Invitational. She put down 46 kills on 93 attempts with only seven attack errors. Sternard tied her career-high with a .684 attack percentage (13k-0e-19ta) against Chicago State.
Sternard owns 832 career kills and needs 168 more to become the 16th member of UIC's 1,000 Kills Club. She leads UIC in attack percentage (.331), total blocks (21) and service aces (5). Sternard ranks ninth in program history with 61 solo blocks.
JOHNSON'S FIRST YEAR AS SETTER Redshirt freshman
Nicole Johnson has put up historic numbers in her first six matches as UIC's setter. She is averaging 12.35 assists per set and hitting at an impressive .438 clip (9k-2e-16ta) at the net.
Johnson recorded her second double-double against Syracuse with 65 assists and 10 digs before 60 more assists in the four-set win over DePaul. Her 65 assists against Syracuse are the most since MaryKate Imrie had 65 in a five-set win over Marshall on Sept. 6, 2013.
FRIEL'S DOUBLE-DIGIT DIG STREAK Redshirt junior Tracy Friel is the only UIC player to compile double-digit digs in all six matches this season. She had 17 digs in the four-set win over DePaul and finished the weekend with 39 digs. Friel ranks second on the squad in digs (78) and aces (4).
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS UIC's 2014 schedule features 12 home matches and the annual UIC Invitational in mid-September. The Flames will also play seven contests against in-state opponents and begin Horizon League action on Sept. 26 when UIC travels to Milwaukee, an NCAA tournament participant in 2013. UIC will make non-conference tournament trips to Marshall, Chicago State and defending-national champions Penn State prior to the beginning of Horizon League play.
The fourth weekend of the season (Sept. 19-20) will see the Flames make a trip to Pennsylvania to compete in Penn State's Alumni Classic. Penn State head coach Russ Rose will welcome UIC head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley and three other Penn State alumni to campus for the tournament. The other head coaches participating include Nadia Edwards (DePaul), Kate Price (Eastern Illinois) and Julie Torbett (Eastern Carolina).
-UIC-
