Sept. 28, 2015
CHICAGO -- UIC will look to reel in its third consecutive Horizon League victory Tuesday night when the Flames travel to Valparaiso, Ind., to play the Valparaiso Crusaders at the Athletics-Recreation Center at 7 p.m. CDT. The match will be televised live on
ESPN3.com.
Both teams opened Horizon League play by going 2-0 over the past weekend. The Flames (8-7, 2-0 HL) and Crusaders (14-2, 2-0 HL) each downed Northern Kentucky in four sets, while UIC toppled Wright State in four games and Valpo edged the Raiders in three. The Crusaders began the season with nine consecutive wins and they have won five of their last six contests dating back to Sept. 15 when they defeated Toledo, 3-1.
Valparaiso currently ranks as one of the top two teams in the Horizon League in nearly every major statistical category. Head coach Carin Avery's squad leads the HL in kills (13.88 per set) and aces (1.93 per set), while ranking eighth nationally in service aces. The team ranks second in hitting percentage (.249), opponent hitting percentage (.185), assists (12.84 per set) and digs (16.50).
Offensively, junior Emily Campbell has done a lot of the heavy lifting for the Crusaders. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native leads the team and ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 4.00 kills per set in 2015. In VU's wins against NKU and WSU over the weekend, Campbell upped that number to 5.00 kills per set and she trails only UIC's Stephenee Yancy (5.75) when it comes to kills in conference play. The team also boasts four of the Horizon League's top eight when it comes to service aces; Kelsey Berrington is third overall (0.41), Katherine Carlson is fourth (0.38), Rachel Bruinsma checks in at sixth (0.33) and Tarrah Lasky is eighth (0.32).
The Crusaders currently rank 30th in the NCAA in digs per set, as they boast five players who are averaging at least 2.35 per set. Morganne Longoria leads the way with 4.02 digs per set, which is good for fifth in the Horizon League. Valpo ranks ninth in the Horizon League in blocks per set with 1.46 and Kayla Currier is VU's top performer in that department with 0.86 blocks per set, good for 10th in the conference.
UIC won the last match at the ARC between the two sides, 3-1, on Oct. 17, 2014. Yancy buried a match-high 25 kills, while setter Nicole Johnson handed out 59 assists in the victory for the Flames. Valpo narrowly leads the all-time series, 27-24.
UIC Match Notes
LAST TIME OUT
The Flames opened conference play on the road over the weekend and returned to the Windy City with a pair of wins in tow. UIC defeated Wright State for the seventh consecutive time on Sept. 25, winning 3-1 at C.J. McLin Gymnasium. Stephenee Yancy had 20 kills and six blocks to lead all players in both categories. The following afternoon, the Flames visited HL-newcomer Northern Kentucky for the first time. After dropping the first set the visitors rallied to win three in a row to knock off the Norse.
UIC SWEEPS WEEKLY HORIZON LEAGUE HONORS
UIC junior middle blocker Casey Harris was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, Sept. 28, while senior middle Stephenee Yancy picked up Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors. It is the first time that a pair of UIC teammates has swept the awards.
Harris led UIC, and the Horizon League, with 1.38 blocks per set over the weekend. In the victory at NKU on Sept. 26, she sent down a season-high seven blocks. This is the first weekly honor of her career.
Yancy averaged a league-best 5.75 kills per set at Wright State and Northern Kentucky, while hitting at a clip of .500 (46k-9e-74ta). The senior matched a season high with 26 kills at NKU and she hit a career-best .629 against the Norse. This is the fifth weekly honor of Yancy's career and the first in 2015.
FLAMES RAGE IN CONFERENCE PLAY
UIC finds itself near the top of the statistical leader board in several categories for conference matches. The Flames lead the nine-team league in aces per set (1.38), while ranking second in hitting percentage (.264), assists (14.62 per set) and kills (15.38 per set). UIC also ranks third in blocks (2.50 per set) and third in opponent hitting percentage (.178).
Entering conference play, the Flames ranked third in aces (1.39), fourth in hitting percentage (.203), fifth in assists (12.37) and fifth in kills (13.08). They ranked fifth in blocks (1.82) and seventh in opponent hitting percentage (.230) as of Sept. 22.
Individually, Stephenee Yancy leads the conference in kills (5.75 per set) and hitting percentage (.500) in Horizon League matches. Nicole Johnson is tops with 13.88 assists per set and Casey Harris leads the league with 1.38 blocks per set after one weekend. UIC sophomore Kyisha Hunt ranks second in that category with 1.25 blocks per set and Yancy is tied for third with 1.12.
JOHNSON SETTING THE PACE
Sophomore setter Nicole Johnson currently leads the Horizon League and ranks fourth in the NCAA with 11.66 assists per set. Her 688 total assists rank her sixth in the NCAA heading into the week. There have been three performances with 58 assists in the Horizon League this season, and Johnson has turned in two of them by accomplishing the feat on Sept. 15 vs. Illinois State and at Northern Kentucky on Sept. 26; she is the only setter to reel off that many helpers in only four sets.
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 in 2014 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.
RARE EHR
In only her second weekend as a member of the Flames, junior Alyssa Ehrhardt made quite the splash at the UIC Invitational (Sept. 4-5). 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 Sept. 8, the Horizon League tabbed Ehrhardt as the Offensive Player of the Week for Aug. 31-Sept. 7. She currently ranks fifth in the Horizon League with 0.37 aces per set.
YANCY STARS 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 ON PACE FOR 1,000 KILLS/1,000 DIGS
Junior outside hitter Kara Johnson has recorded 826 kills and 636 digs at UIC. She needs 174 kills and 364 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 208 digs and ranks eighth in the Horizon League with 3.53 per set. Against Abilene Christian on Sept. 19, Powell dug out a career-best 20 attacks.
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). Four of the five - Salvato, Sullivan, Witt and Mereday - have seen on-court action already this season.
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 93 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.
