CHICAGO - The UIC volleyball team was picked to finish fourth with 37 points in the Horizon League preseason poll as announced by the conference office Wednesday afternoon.

The Flames return nine players including three starters for the 2015 season, along newcomers Alyssa Ehrhardt, Bridget Powell, Haley Sullivan, Carla Salvato, Ali Witt, Macy Geyer and Morgan Mereday.

Among the returners is senior Stephenee Yancy and redshirt sophomore Nicole Johnson. Yancy, the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, was ranked 24th nationally with 512 kills. Johnson earned Freshman of the Year honors and ranked sixth in the nation with 11.67assists per set.

Oakland was selected as the preseason favorite with 64 points, followed by Milwaukee (53 points) and Valparaiso (50). UIC collected 37 points; Cleveland State tallied 33 points, while Horizon League newcomer Northern Kentucky and Youngstown State each posted 31 points. Green Bay and Wright State rounded out the poll with 17 and eight points respectively.



2015 Horizon League Volleyball Preseason Poll
(First place votes in parenthesis)
1. Oakland (8) - 64
2. Milwaukee (1) - 53
3. Valparaiso - 50
4. UIC - 37
5. Cleveland State - 33
t-6. Northern Kentucky - 31
t-6. Youngstown State - 31
8. Green Bay - 17