Box Score Oct. 3, 2015 Box Score
CHICAGO -- UIC returned to the Flames Athletic Center Saturday, but the volleyball team was unable to muster up enough home-court magic to knock off the defending Horizon League champions. Oakland won the conference contest Saturday afternoon, 3-0 (25-17, 26-24, 25-20).
The Golden Grizzlies hit .326 as a team in the match with 44 kills on 86 attempts with only 16 errors. On the other side of the net, the Flames could not develop a consistent rhythm on the attack as they hit only .178 with 34 kills and 18 errors.
The early stages of the first set played out in back-and-forth fashion. The two teams were tied, 10-10, but Oakland scored the next five points in succession to take a 15-10 lead that they would not relinquish. The Golden Grizzlies hit a match-best .435 in the first set as they grabbed a 25-17 victory.
UIC took the floor to open the second set with a renewed energy. The Flames were getting scoring from several different spots as they opened up an early 7-3 lead that prompted OU to call timeout. UIC continued to push the temp after the respite and they pushed the edge to six points at 11-5. The Golden Grizzlies used another timeout at that point, but before long the Flames held a 17-10 cushion after a kill from Kyisha Hunt.
Oakland slowly chipped away, however, and the visitors eventually knotted the score at 20 points apiece. After a timeout, UIC fell behind, 21-20, but it battled back and forth over the next several rallies. The Golden Grizzlies earned the first chance at set point nursing a 24-23 lead, but a block by Alyssa Ehrhardt and Stephenee Yancy evened the home team up again. Unfortunately, OU got back-to-back kills by Amanda Baker and Darien Bandel to secure a 26-24 win and a 2-0 lead for the match. That was Brandel's only score of the match.
The Flames had another strong start coming out of the intermission. An early 8-4 lead thanks to a couple of kills from Hunt, a few blocks by Yancy, plus an ace from Nicole Johnson led to another early timeout for Oakland. The slim advantage diminished and OU used 6-2 surge when they set was tied at 15-15 after a Tracy Friel service ace for UIC to go ahead for good. Oakland claimed the frame, 25-20, and the match, 3-0.
UIC received eight kills from both Yancy and Ehrhardt, while Casey Harris chipped in with six at a clip of .308 (6k-2e-13ta). Yancy also added a team-high four blocks.
The Flames will continue the four-match homestand at the Flames Athletic Center on Friday, Oct. 9, when the Green Bay Phoenix invades the Windy City. UIC will also host the Milwaukee Panthers the following afternoon at 4 p.m.
