CHICAGO – Fresh off winning the Redhawks Invitational in Cape Girardeau, Mo., to open the 2016 volleyball season, the UIC Flames (3-0) will venture to Florida this weekend for the two-day JAX Classic, hosted by Jacksonville University.
 
The Flames open the tournament on Friday, Sept. 2 at 3:30 p.m. CT, against the Charlotte 49ers (1-2). On day two, UIC will tussle with Presbyterian College (2-1) at 12:30 p.m. CT, before coming back to meet the host Dolphins (2-1) in the nightcap at 6 p.m. CT. The only opponent in that field that the Flames previously faced is Charlotte. The 49ers knocked off UIC on Aug. 31, 2007 in Charleston, S.C.
 
Early-Season Success:
The Flames are 3-0 for the first time since 2011 after picking up wins against Louisiana Tech (3-2), SEMO (3-1) and New Orleans (3-0) during the opening weekend. The 2011 Flames won their first four matches (Nebraska-Omaha, Bradley, Western Illinois, and DePaul), and five of their first six. This is only the second time under eighth-year head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley that the club has opened a campaign with at least three victories.
 
Feeling Great About .408:
As a team, UIC hit .408 its last time out against New Orleans in the finale of the Redhawks Invitational. The Flames buried an average of 16.7 kills per set against the Privateers, while committing only 2.67 attacking errors per game. The percentage is the sixth-best single-match mark in team history, and the best number since UIC hit .435 against Chicago State on Sept. 8, 1999. Junior opposite Kyisha Hunt (.643) and sophomore middle blocker Ali Witt (.667) each posted individual career highs against UNO. Witt led the Flames in victory with a career-high 11 kills.
 
Horizon Hardware:
Senior Alyssa Ehrhardt was named the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 29, following a sensational effort at the Redhawks Invitational. The Algonquin, Ill., native averaged 4.42 kills, 2.25 digs and 0.67 aces per set for the Flames in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Among her weekend highlights include a career-best 27 kills, while hitting .306, in the season opener against LA Tech, and her first double-double of the season behind 16 kills and 15 digs in the nightcap against SEMO. This is Ehrhardt's second weekly honor from the Horizon League (Sept. 8, 2015).
 
More Fantastic Flames:
Ehrhardt was joined on the Redhawks Invitational All-Tournament Team by fellow seniors Kelsie Groot and Kara Johnson. Groot, a graduate transfer, delivered double-doubles in UIC's first two matches, while falling one kill and two digs shy in the sweep over New Orleans in the finale. She averaged 3.58 kills and 2.58 digs during the tournament. Johnson donned the libero jersey for the first time in her collegiate career against Louisiana Tech, and she posted a career-high 25 digs in the match. The Champaign, Ill., native averaged 3.67 digs per set in her first weekend at the position.
 
Where We Rank:
The Flames rank among the national leaders in several statistical categories a week into the season. Individually, setter Nicole Johnson leads the Horizon League and ranks third in the NCAA with 12.83 assists per set heading into the weekend. The Eagan, Minn., native is 13^th overall with 154 helpers. Ehrhardt checks in at 19^th with eight total aces, and 21^st with 5.25 points per set. As a team, UIC ranks 24^th in the NCAA in assists per set (13.5), 31^st in kills per set (14.42), and 33^rd in hitting percentage (.283).
 
Back to JAX
UIC last competed in Jacksonville, Fla., on Sept. 10-11, 2010. The Flames won three-of-four matches and they left the Sunshine State as champions of the Best Western Invitational, hosted by North Florida. It was the first time that UIC had won a tournament outside of Chicago in at least 15 years. Janise Dismuke was named the tournament's MVP as she posted 52 kills at a clip of .484 over the two-day span. She also added a team-high 17 total blocks.
 
Congrats, Coach:
UIC head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley reached a milestone with the team's win over New Orleans to close out the Redhawks Invitational. The Chicago native entered the season with 97 career victories and the triumph over the Privateers marked win No. 100. Schumacher-Cawley ranks third all-time in victories by a UIC head volleyball coach behind 23-year bench boss Don August, and the first head coach in program history, Mary Kapsalis.
 
 About Charlotte
Charlotte opened the season with three matches at home, beating Elon before falling to Mercer and future UIC opponent USF (Sept. 10 at DePaul Invitational). The 49ers lead Conference USA in digs after the first weekend with 20.18 per set, while ranking second in both blocks (2.91 per set) and opponent's hitting percentage (.143). Individually, Jannell Sparks averages a team-best 3.91 kills per set. Three players average at least 3.64 digs per set, led by Shelby Green (4.18). Three different 49ers average at least 1.20 blocks per set, led by Anna Henderson (1.36).
 
About Presbyterian
The Blue Hose participated in the Chattanooga Classic to open the season last weekend. The squad won its first two tilts against South Carolina State and Mississippi Valley State in straight sets before falling to host Chattanooga in the finale, 3-0. It is the first time in their Division I history that Presbyterian has opened 2-1. The Blue Hose have utilized a balanced attack with three players averaging at least 2.33 kills per set in the early going. Halle Tripp leads the group with 2.88 kills per set, while also ranking second on the team with 2.38 digs per frame. Mikayla Register ranks second in the NCAA with 1.0 aces per set, and the team ranks second with 3.11 per frame.
 
About Jacksonville
Jacksonville posted a 2-1 record on opening weekend with 3-1 victories over both Winthrop and Davidson at the UNCW Volleyball Classic. The Dolphins were on the short end of a 3-1 final score against UNC Wilmington in the final match of the tournament. Jessica Armstrong and Mackenzie Swan were named to the All-Tournament Team. Armstrong collected 32 kills at a clip of .292, plus a team-high 10 blocks during the tournament. Swan paced the Dolphins with 54 digs, an average of 4.5 per set. In addition, Mallory Mattingly was named the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Week Monday. She registered a team-high 41 kills in three matches, including 15 in her collegiate debut against Winthrop.
 
Live stats will be available for all three matches of the JAX Classic. Links can be found on the UIC schedule page.