Sept. 10, 2015

UIC Flames at 2015 Butler All-American Classic (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Date:	Opponent:	Time:	Follow:
Friday, Sept. 11	at Butler	10 a.m. CDT	Live Stats
Saturday, Sept. 12	vs. Cincinnati	10 a.m. CDT	Live Stats
	vs. Northern Iowa	1 p.m. CDT	Live Stats

CHICAGO – Fresh off its UIC Invitational title at the Flames Athletic Center last weekend, the UIC volleyball team hits the road once again to compete at the Butler All-American Classic beginning Friday at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.

UIC begins the two-day tournament on Friday, Sept. 11 at 10 a.m. CDT against the host Bulldogs. The Flames have battled Butler 47 times since 1984, but the two have not met since splitting a pair of matches during the 2011 campaign.

Saturday's slate features a pair of matches for head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley and Co. The Flames open the second day by looking to continue a four-match winning streak against the American Athletic Conference's Cincinnati Bearcats at 10 a.m. CDT. UIC will wrap up its stint at the All-American Classic with a quick turnaround to play the Northern Iowa Panthers in the finale at 1 p.m. CDT.

UIC INVITATIONAL RECAP
The Flames went unbeaten in matches against Central Connecticut State, Morgan State and local rival Chicago State last weekend to sweep their way to a tournament title at the Flames Athletic Center. It marked the first time since 2007 that UIC finished undefeated through nonconference tournament.

RARE EHR
In only her second weekend as a member of the Flames, junior Alyssa Ehrhardt made quite the splash at the UIC Invitational. 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 Tuesday, the Horizon League tabbed Ehrhardt as the Offensive Player of the Week for Aug. 31-Sept. 7.

HOT START
With four wins in their first six matches to begin the fall, UIC is off to its best start on the volleyball court since the 2011 campaign when it opened with five wins in its first six contests. The Flames won four in a row to start the year four seasons ago, including a CEFCU Classic championship in Peoria, Ill.

YANCY AMONGST LEAGUE'S BEST
Stephenee Yancy (Sr., MB) leads the Horizon League with a .397 attack percentage, ranks third in kills (4.17 per set) and sixth in blocks (22, 0.96) through the first two weekends. Chosen as the 2015 Preseason Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year, Yancy recorded 20-plus kills in consecutive matches on Aug. 29 vs. IPFW and Central Michigan. In the win against the Mastadons, she hit .528 on 36 attempts and added a season-high five blocks.

In 2014, Yancy was named Horizon League Co-Player of the Year after ranking 24th nationally with 512 kills. She also ranked 20th nationally in kills per set (4.38) and 56th in attack percentage (.358). Yancy, who received AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region honors, became the fifth player in program history to put down 500 kills in a single season. Her .358 attack percentage broke the single-season program record.

YANCY SHINES 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.

JOHNSON SETTING THE PACE
Sophomore setter Nicole Johnson currently leads the Horizon League with 11.43 assists per set. 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 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.

JOHNSON ON PACE FOR 1,000 KILLS/1,000 DIGS
Junior outside hitter Kara Johnson has recorded 730 kills and 557 digs at UIC. She needs 270 kills and 443 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).

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 75 digs and ranks 10th in the Horizon League with 3.26 per set.

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).

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 89 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.