Box Score Sept. 11, 2015
Indianapolis, Ind. -- UIC opened its third weekend of nonconference play Friday against an old familiar foe, but the Flames were unable to overcome the Butler Bulldogs at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, falling 3-0 (25-10, 25-23, 25-18).
The Flames (4-3) entered the All-American Classic with a three-match winning streak, but they were plagued by 29 attacking errors Friday morning. Butler was credited with nine blocks in the victory, but the miscues prevented UIC from gaining any kind of offensive rhythm Friday.
Butler got out to a fast start at the All-American Classic by netting eight of the match's first nine points. Sophomore Kyisha Hunt hammered down a kill to stop the run and the Flames eventually sliced the deficit to five points on a couple of occasions, including at 10-5, when Stephenee Yancy picked up her first kill of the morning. A quick 6-1 run put the Bulldogs up by 10 points, and they would not relent en route to a first-set victory.
The second stanza was a much tighter affair with neither side leading by more than four points through the duration of the set. It featured 11 tie scores and six lead changes, both highs for the day. The Bulldogs early 3-0 lead was quickly erased by a spirited seven-point push by UIC that featured scoring from Hunt, Yancy and the reigning Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week, Alyssa Ehrhardt.
The teams traded brief surges and the Flames trailed 21-20 after Butler scored back-to-back points following a timeout. Yancy scored off a feed from Johnson to knot the ledger before a tandem block from junior Casey Harris and freshman Morgan Mereday gave UIC a slim 22-21 edge. The Bulldogs scored the next three points, and though Mereday was able to stave off one set point, Butler's Anna Logan collected her 11th kill of the match to give her team a 25-23 victory in the second and a 2-0 lead for the match.
The Bulldogs set the pace once again following the brief intermission. Butler opened up a 5-1 lead, but UIC methodically chipped away and eventually pulled to within a point at 8-7 after Kara Johnson scored at the net and Nicole Johnson served up one of her team's two aces in the match. Moments later, a Kara Johnson ace made it a one-point affair with Butler ahead 10-9, but the hosts rallied to go on a 7-2 run to build a six-point cushion. The Flames would be unable to get to within five points the rest of the way and Butler hung on for a 25-18 triumph in the decisive third set.
Nicole Johnson, who entered the day averaging a Horizon League-best 11.43 assists per set, dished out 24 helpers for the Flames Friday. Defensively, Hunt picked up team-high four blocks, while Harris added three of her own. UIC's Bridget Powell recorded a match-best 15 digs to equal her career high in a Flames uniform.
The All-American Classic continues Saturday with a pair of tests on deck. The Flames will get an early start for the second consecutive day as they open against the Cincinnati Bearcats at 10 a.m. CDT. They will then have a quick turnaround before wrapping up their stint in the Circle City with a match against Northern Iowa at 1 p.m. CDT.
