CHICAGO – The UIC volleyball team (12-5, 3-1 HL) will wrap up its four-match road streak this weekend as they travel to Highland Heights, Ky. and Dayton, Ohio to face Horizon League opponents Northern Kentucky (6-7, 2-2 HL) and Wright State (7-10, 1-3 HL). The Flames will tackle the Norse on Friday at 5 p.m. CT and the Raiders on Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
LOOKING BACK
UIC split its first weekend of Horizon League road action with one win and one loss. The Flames dropped a 3-1 decision against first-place Green Bay Saturday, and went on to take a 3-2 win against closely-matched Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon.

Manuela Conte poured in a career-high 16 kills against the Panthers, while Alexandria Drosopoulou and Sarah Daneliak each matched their career-high kill marks with 12 and 10 kills, respectively in Sunday afternoon's win.

WHERE WE RANK
UIC is tied for second in the Horizon League rankings, alongside the Conference's newest member, IUPUI. The Flames are tied for second across the League in hitting percentage, hitting .223 as a team, but is first in the same category amongst Horizon League opponents, hitting .266 in Conference action. UIC ranks third overall in kills, averaging 13.55 per set as a team, and it also ranks third in assists with an average of 12.82 per set. The Flames are also second in the Horizon League in service aces (1.43 per set) and fourth in digs (16.14 per set).   

NEW FACES
The UIC roster boasts seven newcomers, all of which are freshmen. The group includes libero Andrea Aviles, outside hitters Alexandra Drosopoulou, Brecken Roe, Kiera James and Manuela Conte, opposite Alexandria Hicks and setter Kaliegh Skopal. Conte is a redshirt freshman after attending Oklahoma in 2016-17, however she did not appear in a match for the Sooners, retaining four seasons of eligibility. Six of the seven newcomers have appeared in a match this season with James as the lone exception.

SETTING FOR SUCCESS
Utilizing two primary setters, UIC ranks third in the Horizon League with 12.82 assists per set this season. The two Flames who spread the ball around, true freshman Kaliegh Skopal and fifth-year senior Nicole Johnson, each rank in the top 10 in the conference in assists. Johnson is eighth with 6.06 assists per set entering the weekend, while Skopal follows in ninth with 5.60.

INGRAM IS IN
UIC head coach Justin Ingram is in his first season at the helm for the Flames. He arrived in Chicago following a very successful five-year stint at Southern Illinois in which he guided the Salukis to 101 victories and the program's first NCAA Tournament bid in 2015. Ingram, the seventh head coach in program history, is a two-time conference Coach of the Year after capturing the award in 2015 at SIU and 2011 at Arkansas State. He graduated from Iowa State in 1995 and received a master's degree from Cal Poly in 1998.
  
CONTE'S CONNECTIONS
Manuela Conte, of Bologna, Italy, has a deep family history in volleyball. Her father, Hugo, is a member of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame after he appeared in the Olympic Games three times for his native Argentina. Hugo was a member of the 1984, 1988 and 2000 contingents and he helped the country capture a bronze medal in volleyball in 1988. Conte's brother, Facundo, competed for Team Argentina at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janiero and he also plays professionally in China.

Conte ranks second on the Flames with 3.77 digs per set through UIC's 15 matches. She also leads UIC with 24 service aces this season, ranking her fourth in the Horizon League with a 0.37 per set average.  

HUNTING SEASON
Kyisha Hunt has been UIC's most prolific attacker this season. The Kankakee, Ill., native leads the squad with 3.51 kills per set, which ranks fourth in the Horizon League. Hunt is also third on the Flames in hitting percentage as she's converted at a clip of .262. Hunt was crowned most valuable player at the CEFCU Classic and also represented the Flames on the Cougar Invitational All-Tournament team earlier this season.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
UIC's 2017 roster features four international standouts. Manuela Conte and junior Gaia Gbola are from Italy, coming from Bologna and Ravenna, respectively. Alexandra Drosopulou came to Chicago by way of Thessaloniki, Greece. Andrea Aviles' hometown is San Juan, Puerto Rico.

CLOSER TO HOME
Carla Salvato was named Horizon League Player of the week on Sept. 11 following a stellar performance at the CEFCU Classic. The junior registered a career-high 31 digs on Sept. 8 against Bradley, which was only the 15^th time in program history that a UIC player recorded 30 plus digs in a match. Salvato dug out 10 in the sweep of Murray State (Sept. 9), and closed out the CEFCU Classic with a match-high 28 digs in the finale against Bradley on Sept. 9. The libero earned a spot on the CEFCU Classic's All-Tournament team, averaging 5.75 digs per set in the tournament, and sits fourth in the Horizon League with 4.49 digs per set. Salvato is not just one of the Flames' Chicago natives, but she attended high school right down the street from UIC's urban campus. Salvato attended nearby Saint Ignatius College Prep, which is just west of the Flames Athletic Center. 
 
HAMPTON'S HEROES
Two UIC standouts, junior Alit Witt and redshirt freshman Manuela Conte, were named to the Hampton Inn Invitational All-Tournament Team. Witt averaged 2.42 kills per set while hitting a team-best .323 from her post in the middle. She also added nine blocks in three matches. Perhaps her biggest block of the weekend came as UIC mounted a furious third-set rally in the finale against Duquesne. The Flames trailed the game 17-12 at one point, but led 26-25 when Witt and teammate Kyisha Hunt got together to stuff an attack and complete the sweep.
 
Conte did a bit of everything in what was her first taste of collegiate competition, tallying 4.83 digs per set at the tournament. The Italian dug out a match-high 27 attacks in the season-opening win over Bowling Green and followed that up with 19 more against Xavier in a four-set match. She also finished the Hampton Inn Invitational with 19 kills, four aces, four assists and three blocks.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN KENTUCKY
Northern Kentucky went 1-1 last weekend, defeating Youngstown State 3-1 on Friday (Sept. 29) before falling 3-1 to Oakland on Saturday (Sept. 30). NKU's victory on Friday was the program's 1,000th win. The Norse lead the Horizon League in digs thus far, averaging 18.22 per set as a team. Elsewhere in the Conference standings, Northern Kentucky sits seventh as a team in kills (12.78 per set), service aces (1.08 per set) and assists (11.96 per set). Junior Hailey Libs is fifth individually in the Horizon League kill rankings, averaging 3.38 kills per set. Sophomore setter Shelby Olson is fourth in the Conference with 10.52 assists per set.

SCOUTING WRIGHT STATE
Wright State recorded its first Conference victory this past weekend with a 3-1 victory over Cleveland State on Saturday, after being swept 3-0 by Oakland the evening prior. Wright State is second in the Horizon League in the digs standings, averaging 17.25 per set. Elsewhere in the League, the Raiders are fifth in kills (13.00 per set), assists (12.21 per set) and blocks (2.02 per set). Senior Jessie Thornton leads the League in digs, averaging 5.02 per set, while fellow senior Megan Hopkins is sixth in the Conference in blocks, averaging 1.00 per set. The Flames are 31-24 all-time versus Wright State, and went 1-1 last season against the Raiders.

LOOKING AHEAD
UIC will return home to the Flames Athletic Center to continue Horizon League action against Oakland (Oct. 13) and IUPUI (Oct. 14).