CHICAGO – The UIC women's volleyball team took a tough 3-2 (14-25, 25-23, 25-23, 21-25, 14-16) loss to Northern Kentucky in its final match of the season Saturday afternoon. The Flames honored their 2016 senior class prior to the start of the match. This year's class includes: Anouska Best, Alyssa Ehrhardt, Kelsie Groot, Casey Harris and Kara Johnson.
 
Seniors Kelsie Groot and Alyssa Ehrhardt each recorded double-doubles in their final match in Flames jerseys. Groot registered 21 kills while digging out 18, and Ehrhardt notched 15 kills alongside 10 digs.
 
Sophomore Ali Witt blocked a career-high seven, while hitting at a clip of .357 (12k-2e-28a). Sophomore Haley Sullivan matched her career-best 12 digs, while fellow sophomore Gaia Gbola dug out 13.
 
Set one went to the Northern Kentucky offense, which hit .400 collectively with 15 kills and only one error to take the game 25-14.
 
The Flames quickly rebounded, opening up set two with a 10-5 lead. NKU responded, eventually tying the score at 18 all. UIC took the next four off of a kill from Witt, two blocks and a Norse error to take back the lead, 22-18. Both teams notched another point each before NKU went on a three-point streak to come within one, 23-22. A Norse attack error brought UIC to game point, 24-22, but a kill from NKU's Tristen Simpson brought the score to 24-23. Groot took a feed from Nicole Johnson for the final point needed for UIC to take set two, 25-23.
 
UIC opened up set three with a 16-9 advantage, but the Norse whittled away at the lead, eventually drawing within one, 17-16. The Flames took six of the next eight to make it 23-18, but the Norse once again chipped at the gap to come within one, 24-23. Ali Witt took the final termination to end game three with the same result as game two, 25-23, in favor of UIC.
 
Game four was a back-and-forth battle, with neither team owning a lead larger than three until Northern Kentucky was able to string together three straight with a 22-21 lead to pull away with the 25-21 win.
 
The Flames began the decisive set with an 11-6 lead, but the Norse offense threatened, bringing the score to 13-12. A kill from Groot brought the Flames within one, but NKU scored four unanswered points to take the tiebreaker, 16-14.