Box Score Oct. 27, 2015 Box Score
CHICAGO -- UIC stumbled in the third match of its three-match homestand Tuesday night, falling to the Valparaiso Crusaders, 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-20), in a Horizon League match.
The Flames got off to a sluggish start Tuesday night, falling behind 10-4 in the first set. The home side was unable to generate a consistent offensive attack as it produced only nine kills and six errors in the premiere frame; four of the nine kills came from senior Stephenee Yancy. On the other side of the net, Valparaiso pounded down 17 kills to only three errors on 34 attempts for an attack percentage of .412. The Crusaders would eventually take the first set by a final score of, 25-15.
The second stanza was a much tighter affair throughout. Nicole Johnson's service ace gave UIC a 6-5 advantage early on, but Valparaiso rallied for five consecutive points to take a four-point lead right back. The Flames methodically chipped away and got to within a point at 17-16, and later 18-17, but that was as close as they would come as the Crusaders finished on a 7-2 run to win the set, 25-19.
The Flames hit close to .200 in the second set, managing to notch 14 kills with Yancy accounting for six of those terminations. Alyssa Ehrhardt also got on the scoresheet with four kills in the second set. While Valpo cooled after eclipsing .400 in the first frame, the visitors still hit north of .340 with 17 kills and four errors.
The third set followed a similar blueprint with the home team falling behind early on. Valparaiso led 5-1 in the early going, but UIC hung around throughout the set. A kill from Kara Johnson made it 18-15 in favor of the Crusaders, but a 5-2 run by the visitors put them ahead 23-17 in the closing moments. Consecutive kills by Ehrhardt, Yancy and Nicole Johnson made it a three-point affair, 23-20. Valparaiso called a timeout and scored two quick points after the stoppage to nail down the 25-20 victory.
Yancy led the Flames with 15 kills, while Ehrhardt and Kara Johnson produced the next highest totals with six kills apiece. Bridget Powell led UIC with 12 digs, while freshman Haley Sullivan secured a career-best nine digs against the Crusader attack. Yancy had a match-high three blocks, while Nicole Johnson led all players with a pair of service aces.
UIC has only one match on tap for the upcoming weekend. The Flames will travel to the Great Lakes State to play the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Friday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. CT. The Flames won their first meeting at the Athletics Center O'rena, 3-0, on Oct. 14, 2014. UIC hit .340 as a team in the victory and collected nine blocks to hand OU its first-ever defeat in Horizon League play.
