CHICAGO -- UIC has a busy weekend on tap with four matches scheduled across three days in two cities. The Flames will play in the CEFCU Classic, hosted by Bradley, on Sept. 8-9, before returning home to host Chicago State on Sunday, Sept. 10.

In a non-traditional format, UIC (2-3) will play Bradley (2-5) twice over the weekend in Peoria, Ill., sandwiched around a meeting with Murray State (6-1). The Flames will then host Chicago State (4-3) in what is the only contest of the season set for a Sunday. Live stats will be available for all four matches, while three of the four meetings (all but Murray State) will be available on ESPN3. Direct links are available in the blue box on this page.
 
LOOKING BACK
UIC hosted a three-team tournament at the Flames Athletic Center, Aug. 31-Sept. 2. The home team was narrowly edged in a five-set battle with Idaho on Sept. 1 before being downed in four sets against DePaul on Sept. 2. The Blue Demons went unbeaten in the abbreviated weekend as they also toppled the Vandals, 3-1, on Aug. 31.

Prior to last weekend, UIC won two-of-three matches at the Hampton Inn Invitational hosted by Bowling Green to begin the 2017 slate. The Flames came from behind to knock off the host, 3-2, in the season opener on Aug. 25 before falling to a tough Xavier team in the nightcap, 3-1. UIC finished the weekend with a three-game sweep over Duquesne.
 
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 appeared over opening weekend at Bowling Green with James as the lone exception.

SETTING FOR SUCCESS
Utilizing two primary setters, UIC ranks third in the Horizon League with 12.57 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. Skopal is eighth with 5.95 assists per set entering the weekend, while Johnson is ninth with 5.67.

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 first on the Flames and fifth in the Horizon League with 4.43 digs per set through UIC's five matches. She's also tied with Kaliegh Skopal for the team lead with five service aces.
 
HUNTING SEASON
Senior Kyisha Hunt has been UIC's most prolific attackers this season. The Kankakee, Ill., native leads the squad with 3.48 kills per set, which ranks seventh in the Horizon League entering the weekend. Hunt ranks ninth in the conference in hitting percentage as she's converted at a clip of .320 and she joins Green Bay's Lydia DeWeese and Cleveland State's Alexis Middlebrooks as the only three players in the League to rank in the top 10 in both kills per set and hitting percentage.

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 Drosopoulou came to Chicago by way of Thessaloniki, Greece. Andrea Aviles' hometown is San Juan, Puerto Rico.
 
CLOSER TO HOME
The Flames have one student-athlete who is not only from Chicago, but she attended high school right down the street from UIC's urban campus. Carla Salvato attended nearby Saint Ignatius College Prep, which is just west of the Flames Athletic Center. Salvato started as UIC's libero in all five matches this and set a career-high with 22 digs against both Bowling Green and Xavier on August 25. She ranks eighth in the Horizon League with 4.33 digs per set in 2017.

HAMPTON'S HEROES
Two UIC standouts, junior Ali 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 over the weekend. In her first taste of collegiate competition, Conte tallied 4.83 digs per set, which ranked fourth in the Horizon League over the weekend. 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 weekend with 19 kills, four aces, four assists and three blocks.
 
SCOUTING BRADLEY
The Braves (2-5), under the direction of head coach Carol Price-Torok, continue a 10-match homestand at Renaissance Coliseum this weekend. Bradley has been led in large part this season by junior Erica Haslag. The junior leads the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) with 4.86 kills per set this season. She's amassed 20-plus kills in each of Bradley's last two matches, while recording double-doubles in five straight contests. During that on-going stretch, Haslag is averaging 4.71 kills and 4.19 kills per set.
 
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE
Head coach David Schwepker and the Racers (6-1) have won six consecutive matches after dropping their season-opening contest vs. Ohio on August 25. Sophomore Rachel Giustino, the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week, leads Murray State and ranks third in the NCAA with 5.36 kills per set this season. The Racers are a strong serving team as they rank ninth nationally with 50 service aces. Giustino averages 0.52 aces per set, while classmate Alex Kaufmann is producing 0.44 aces per set.

SCOUTING CHICAGO STATE
The Cougars (4-3), who defeated Bradley in five sets on Tuesday this week, make the short trip to the Flames Athletic Center for a nonconference match. CSU has won three consecutive matches and the Cougars will play three times at the EIU Panther Invitational in Charleston, Ill., before Sunday's showdown. Lauryn Dela Cruz has done a bit of everything for the Cougars as she leads the squad with 4.22 kills per set and ranks second with 4.11 digs per frame. She has also added nine blocks and five aces on the young season.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
UIC host its first mid-week match of the season on Wednesday, Sept. 13, when South Dakota State visits the FLames Athletic Center at 6 p.m. CT. Next weekend the Flames will be on the road for the SIUE Cougar Classic, where they will play Montana, Seattle and SIUE.