Box Score Oct. 13, 2015 Box Score
CHICAGO -- UIC was crisp throughout as it made quick work of the visiting Western Illinois Leathernecks Tuesday night, downing the in-state foe at the Flames Athletic Center, 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 21).
Four different Flames registered at least eight kills in the victory, while the squad posted its best attacking percentage since Sept. 12 when it hit .336 against Cincinnati. Tuesday marked only the second time this season that UIC hit at a clip of better than .300.
"It was great to receive positive contributions from so many different places tonight," said UIC head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley. "I thought we played pretty solid defense which made it easier for us to score at times. Everyone lifted each other up throughout the match and that positive attitude contributed to this win."
The Flames came out firing in their final nonconference home match of the regular season. UIC got out to a 10-3 lead thanks to a service ace from junior Bridget Powell and the team never faltered. The squad led by as many as 10 points on multiple occasions as it hit a robust .538 as a group in the opening set. Five different players notching at least three kills in the frame. Alyssa Ehrhardt and Stephenee Yancy led the way with four kills apiece for the home team. The whole team amassed 17 kills with only three misfires in the game.
The second set was a tight affair in the early going. UIC never trailed in the premiere set, but the second featured six tie scores and a pair of lead changes. The Flames led 15-11 after an Ehrhardt ace, but WIU rallied to score four unanswered points to even the score and force Schumacher-Cawley to use a timeout. Her team responded after the respite, scoring four consecutive points, including a kill from Yancy and another Powell ace. Western Illinois was able to fight off three set points late before Ehrhardt ended the action with her sixth kill of the match to give UIC a 25-20 triumph and a 2-0 lead at the intermission.
The Flames were made to play from behind during the early stages of the third set. WIU opened up a 14-11 lead, but the home team scored on back-to-back kills from Yancy and one more from Kara Johnson to prompt the Leathernecks to use a timeout with the score tied. Ehrhardt aced Kaili Simmons after the break. It was 16-16 when a WIU attacking error gave the Flames the lead for good. Later Yancy buried her 16th kill of the night to seal a 25-21 triumph.
UIC hit .316 on the night with 44 kills and only 13 errors. Yancy led all players with 16 kills, while Ehrhardt, Kara Johnson and Kyisha Hunt all poured in eight terminations. Hunt also led UIC with four blocks. Nicole Johnson handed out 40 assists to lead all players, while Powell notched a match-best 14 digs.
Next up, the Flames will hit the road for a pair of matches in Ohio this weekend. UIC will first visit the Youngstown State Penguins on Friday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. CT before continuing west to challenge the Cleveland State Vikings.
"It's always a challenge to play on the road in the Horizon League," said Schumacher-Cawley. "We've been home for a few weeks now, so we need to work hard in practice over the next few days to prepare ourselves for the tough weekend ahead."
