CHICAGO – The UIC volleyball team (9-0) will look to add another win to its already historic 2016 season by taking on crosstown rival Loyola Chicago (4-5) on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m., in the Gentile Arena.
 
The Flames are seeking their tenth-consecutive victory, following this past weekend's three-win performance to take another title at the DePaul Invitational. The team's nine-match winning streak is one victory shy of matching the program record for consecutive wins. That mark was set when the 1986 squad won 10-in-a-row between Sept. 19 and Oct. 10. The 10^th and final victory of that run came against the Loyola Ramblers in straight sets.

Streaking Across the Quad:
UIC's nine-match winning streak is one match shy of matching the longest in program history. The 1986 team won 10 consecutive contests, but since then, no group of Flames had won more than six-straight matches (1987, 1991, 2000). Prior to the start of the 2016 campaign, UIC had not won more than five consecutive matches since doing so between Oct. 27 and Nov. 14, 2012. That team advanced all the way to the finale at the Horizon League Championship in Cleveland, Ohio.  
 
Early-Season Success:
The Flames are off to a perfect 9-0 start to open the season, their best start in Division I program history. UIC captured its third-straight tournament title this past weekend at the DePaul Invitational to continue their winning ways. The Flames have also earned tournament crowns at both the Redhawks Invitational, hosted by SEMO, and the JAX Classic, hosted by Jacksonville.  
  
Feeling Great About .408:
As a team, UIC hit .408 on Aug. 27 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:
UIC has earned its second Horizon League accolade in as many weeks, as Kara Johnson recorded her first-career Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week award on Sept. 6. The Champaign, Ill. native registered a team-high 44 digs at the JAX Classic and paced the Flames in that category against all three opponents. In her first season wearing the libero jersey, Johnson currently sits sixth across the Horizon League with 130 total digs and average of 3.51 digs per set. She was a member of the All-Tournament team at the Redhawks Invitational.  

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 grabbed the most valuable player title at this past weekend's DePaul Invitational, where she collected 53 kills to average 3.79 kills per set. The outside hitter also registered 22 digs and seven service aces. Ehrhardt led the Flames in kills in two of the three matches, including a tournament-high 24 in UIC's match against South Florida. Witt joined Ehrhardt on the All-Tournament team, hitting at a clip of .487 while committing only two errors across the weekend's 14 sets.
 
Earlier this season, Kelsie Groot was named the most valuable player of the JAX Classic on Sept. 3. Hunt and Ehrhardt were also named to the All-Tournament team for their performances. Both Groot and Ehrhardt closed out the tournament with 40 kills to average 3.64 per set. Groot hit .305 on the weekend, and .371 for the Flames' final two victories on Sept. 3. Ehrhardt led UIC with five service aces, while also averaging 3.36 digs per set. Hunt averaged 3.55 kills per set and recorded four blocks on the weekend.

Ehrhardt and Johnson were joined on the Redhawks Invitational All-Tournament Team by Groot. The Irvine, Calif., native 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 continue to sit at the top of the Horizon League in several categories. As a team, UIC ranks first in kills (510), hitting percentage (.260) and assists (472). Individually, Ehrhardt ranks second among the league in kills per set with 3,95, while Groot ranks fourth with 3.54. Ehrhardt also holds second in the conference in service aces with 0.54 per set. Johnson currently sits at the top of the leaderboard in assists (11.52 aps), and Witt holds fifth among the league in hitting percentage (.345).
 
 
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 on Aug. 27. The Chicago native entered the season with 97 career victories and the triumph over the Privateers marked win No. 100. Schumacher-Cawley, who now owns 106 victories, 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 Loyola
Loyola is off to a 4-5 start this season after going 1-2 at this past weekend's Wildcat Classic, hosted by Kansas State. The Ramblers fell 3-0 in their final match of the Wildcat Classic against Kansas State, as sophomore Gabi Maciagowski registered a match-high 15 kills. At the NIU Invitational on Aug. 27, Senior Morgan Reardon became the 14th player in Loyola history to record 1,000 career kills in Loyola's 3-1 loss to Northern Illinois.
 
Live stats for Tuesday's match can be found on the UIC schedule page.