Oct. 12, 2015
2015 UIC Statistics
2015 Horizon League Statistics 2015 UIC Prospectus
2015 UIC Record Book
CHICAGO -- UIC will conclude its four-match homestand Tuesday night by sliding out of Horizon League play to welcome the Summit League's Western Illinois Leathernecks to the Flames Athletic Center for a nonconference match. The first serve is set for 7 p.m.
After falling short in three consecutive conference contests, UIC righted the ship Saturday with a five-set victory over the Milwaukee Panthers. It was the first time that the Flames topped UWM since sweeping the season series back in 2012. The win helped the squad inch back closer to the .500 mark with its ninth win in 19 matches, while UIC improved to 3-3 in HL matches.
Under the direction of first-year head coach Kelly Richardson, the Leathernecks will make the trip to the Windy City with a 3-16 overall record and a 1-4 mark in Summit League play.
Tuesday's contest will be the 42nd meeting all-time between the Flames and Western Illinois. UIC currently leads the series, 24-17, however the Leathernecks have won the previous two showdowns.
UIC Match Notes
LAST TIME OUT
UIC snapped a three-match slide Saturday with a thrilling five-set victory over the visiting Milwaukee Panthers. The Flames won each of the first two games before UWM roared back to win sets three and four. In the decisive fifth set, UIC broke out to leads of 6-3 and 8-4, but Milwaukee chipped away and eventually cut the deficit to two points before the Flames pulled away for a 15-11 set victory.
In the three frames won by the Flames, the squad hit .309 (33k-8e-81ta). In the second set alone UIC attacked at a clip of .448 with only one attacking error on 29 attempts. Stephenee Yancy led all players with 24 kills Saturday, while sophomore Kyisha Hunt chipped in with 11.
JOHNSON SETTING THE PACE
Sophomore setter Nicole Johnson currently leads the Horizon League and ranks 12th in the NCAA with 11.51 assists per set. Her 852 total assists also rank her fifth in the NCAA heading into the week. There have been four individual performances with 58 assists in the Horizon League this season, and Johnson has turned in two of them by accomplishing the feat on Sept. 15 vs. Illinois State, and again at Northern Kentucky on Sept. 26; she is the only setter to rattle off that many helpers in only four sets.
Last season, Johnson was selected the 2014 Horizon League Freshman of the Year after ranking sixth with 11.67 assists per set. She was also an All-Horizon League Team selection. Johnson's 1,365 assists in 2014 ranked 14th nationally, and as the eighth highest in a single-season in program history. She led UIC with 26 service aces and contributed seven of UIC's 22 double-doubles. Johnson recorded 55 or more assists in seven matches. She compiled 227 digs with seven double-digit dig efforts.
UIC SWEEPS WEEKLY HORIZON LEAGUE HONORS TO OPEN LEAGUE PLAY
UIC junior middle blocker Casey Harris was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, Sept. 28, while senior middle Stephenee Yancy picked up Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors. It is the first time ever that a pair of UIC teammates has swept the weekly awards.
Harris led UIC, and the Horizon League, with 1.38 blocks per set over the opening weekend. In the victory at NKU on Sept. 26, she sent down a season-high seven blocks. This is the first weekly honor of her career.
Yancy averaged a league-best 5.75 kills per set at Wright State and Northern Kentucky, while hitting at a clip of .500 (46k-9e-74ta). The senior matched a season high with 26 kills at NKU and she hit a career-best .629 against the Norse. This is the fifth weekly honor of Yancy's career and the first in 2015.
YANCY KEEPS KILLING IT
Senior middle blocker Stephenee Yancy continues to stand out as one of the top offensive threats in both the Horizon League and the NCAA. The Aroma Park, Ill., native leads the conference and ranks 14th in the country with 4.44 kills per set this season. She also ranks second in the league with a .366 hitting percentage. In six HL matches, Yancy has been even sharper; the senior is averaging 4.96 kills per set at a clip of .382.
Yancy has put down 1,265 kills in three-plus collegiate seasons, including 796 as a UIC Flame. She spent her first two seasons at Western Michigan University, where she netted 469 kills for the Broncos.
RARE EHR
In only her second weekend as a member of the Flames, junior Alyssa Ehrhardt made quite the splash at the UIC Invitational (Sept. 4-5). The Algonquin, Ill., native collected tournament MVP honors after averaging 3.6 kills and 2.5 digs per set in UIC's three wins. The transfer also added four aces, four blocks and a pair of assists while hitting at a clip of .338 on the weekend. On Sept. 8, the Horizon League tabbed Ehrhardt as the Offensive Player of the Week for Aug. 31-Sept. 7. She currently ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 0.32 aces per set.
JOHNSON ON PACE FOR 1,000 KILLS/1,000 DIGS
Junior outside hitter Kara Johnson has recorded 861 kills and 667 digs at UIC. She needs 139 kills and 333 digs over the next two seasons to become the 10th player in program history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. The last UIC player to join the 1,000 kills/1,000 digs club was Katarina Nedeljikovic in 2008 (1,381k/1,150d).
YANCY STARS WITH USA VOLLEYBALL
Stephenee Yancy made a good impression on her U.S. CNT (Collegiate National Team) Red squad by registering 14 points over two matches in late June. She trained and competed with USA Volleyball in conjunction with the USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships.
Yancy was one of 36 athletes who began training with USA Volleyball in New Orleans. The CNT program was considered a second tryout for the U.S. Women's National Team.
POWELL POWERS UIC DEFENSE
Purdue transfer Bridget Powell (5-foot-6 defensive specialist) was also added to the roster in the offseason. Powell was a nationally-ranked libero at Mother McAuley High School. She appeared in six matches in 2013 at Purdue and made good on 98 percent of her serve reception chances. She saw action in the Boilermakers' NCAA First Round match against Central Arkansas. At UIC, she's registered a team-high 257 digs and ranks eighth in the Horizon League with 3.47 per set entering the weekend. Against Abilene Christian on Sept. 19, Powell dug out a career-best 20 attacks.
FIVE FRESHMEN JOIN THE FLAMES
Seventh-year head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley brought in five freshmen in Carla Salvato (5-foot-5 libero), Haley Sullivan (5-foot-3 libero), Ali Witt (6-foot-0 middle blocker), Macy Geyer (5-foot-11 setter) and Morgan Mereday (6-foot-0 outside hitter). Four of the five – Salvato, Sullivan, Witt and Mereday – have seen on-court action already this season.
Salvato was an All-conference pick at St. Ignatius College Prep and collected 600 digs. Sullivan was a three-year starter at Lemont High School and compiled 924 digs. Witt was a two-year starter at Prairie Ridge High School and a Sun-Times' Preseason Top 50 selection.
Geyer was a four-year starter for Hononegah Community and a three-time All-NIC-10 selection. Mereday was selected second-team All-State in 2014 and put down 263 kills at Hunterdon Central.
COACH CLOSES IN ON MILESTONE
UIC head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley is closing in on a milestone in her seventh season at the helm. She owns 94 career victories entering the Butler All-American Classic and is seeking to become only the third head coach in program history to reach the century mark. Don August, who led the Flames from 1981-2003 is the program's all-time leader in victories with 421, while Mary Kapsalis is second with 132.
SCOUTING THE LEATHERNECKS
Western Illinois arrives in Chicago searching for its fourth win of the campaign. As a team, the Leathernecks are averaging 9.4 kills per set with an attacking percentage of .113. Individually, Peyton Crosser leads the way with 2.90 kills per set and 3.33 points per frame. She ranks in the top 75 nationally with 723 total attempts on the season.
Defensively, WIU is averaging 12.1 digs per set with three players contributing at least 2.02 per set. Junior Kaili Simmons paces the squad with 3.09 per set. The Leathernecks average 1.55 blocks per set as a team. Freshman Sierra Bauder leads the team with 0.62 blocks per set.
