CHICAGO – The UIC volleyball team (15-10, 8-4 HL) will split the weekend at home and on the road, welcoming Northern Kentucky to the Flames Athletic Center on Friday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. CT before heading out on the road to face Youngstown State on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. Seniors Ali Witt and Carla Salvato will be honored at the conclusion of Friday's match against the Norse in recognition of their UIC careers.

LOOKING BACK
The Flames were dealt a pair of five-set losses this past weekend, falling to Cleveland State and Oakland by an identical 3-2 score. On Friday (Oct. 26) against the Vikings, UIC posted team season-highs in kills (76) and total attacks (218), while also tallying a then season-high 99 digs as a team. The following day at Oakland, redshirt sophomore Manuela Conte made history, rewriting the single-match dig record with 37 digs against the Golden Grizzlies. Conte's efforts aided the Flames in finishing the match with a new team season-high 103 digs.

WHERE WE RANK
UIC comes in third in the Horizon League standings, behind Cleveland State and Green Bay and ahead of Northern Kentucky. Statistically the Flames are third in the conference in hitting percentage (.197), assists (12.68 per set), kills (13.48 per set) and blocks (2.21 per set). UIC also comes in at second in the League in service aces (1.40 per set) and seventh in digs (16.95 per set). Junior transfer Tatyana Ndekwe is the Flames' most efficient attacker, hitting .258 to come in eighth in the League, followed by Ali Witt in ninth hitting .253. Freshman Marija Borcic is fifth in the conference in assists, handing out an average of 7.94 helpers per set.

BLOCK PARTY
UIC's 2.21 blocks per set average ranks third in the Horizon League. Junior transfer Tatyana Ndekwe leads the block party, owning a 1.05 blocks per set average to come in fifth among League competitors. Ali Witt averages 0.92 blocks per set, followed by Clara Lamb with 0.70 blocks per set. The Flames have out blocked their opponent in 13 matches thus far – Bryant (Aug. 24), Maryland Eastern Shore (Aug. 25), Central Michigan (Aug. 25), Wofford (Sept. 7), Northwestern (Sept. 14), Loyola (Sept. 15), DePaul (Sept. 15), IUPUI (Sept. 21), Wright State (Sept. 22), Milwaukee (Sept. 28), Youngstown State (Oct. 5), Wright State (Oct. 19) and IUPUI (Oct. 20).

SHE'S OUR NUMBER ONE
Redshirt freshman Kiera James has had a big impact on UIC's offense, leading the Flames in total kills (278), and averaging 3.31 kills per set to rank third in the Horizon League. James was awarded Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 15 after tallying a career-high 29 terminations against Cleveland State (Oct. 13), the most by a single player since Stephenee Yancy's 33 kills against Milwaukee on Nov. 6, 2015. In Friday's rematch with Cleveland State James tallied 27 kills, her fifth 20-plus kill effort of the season and eighth-consecutive double-digit kill showing.

CONTE MAKES HISTORY
Redshirt sophomore Manuela Conte etched her name into UIC's record book on Saturday (Oct. 27), setting the individual single-match dig record with 37 digs. The redshirt sophomore solidified her name at the top of the record book after tying the previous record of 35 back on Oct. 7 at Northern Kentucky. On Friday against the Vikings, Conte contributed 31 digs, making Saturday her third 30-plus dig showing of the season. Conte has allowed the Flames to out-dig all eight opponents since becoming Libero on Oct. 5 and comes in seventh in the Horizon League with 4.11 digs per set.

PAOLA'S POWER
Freshman Paola Santiago highlights on both offense and defense for the Flames, averaging 2.78 kills per set and 2.66 digs per set. Her 2.78 kills per set average ranks seventh in the Horizon League. Santiago has nine double-doubles this season – UTEP (08/31), Omaha (08/31), UMKC (09/01), Wofford (09/07), Wright State (09/22), Northern Kentucky (10/07), Oakland (10/12), Cleveland State (10/26) and Oakland (10/27). The freshman has had double-digit kill efforts in her last 10 matches and has 14 double-digit kill efforts this season. On the defensive side, Santiago has 11 double-digit dig efforts so far, and has recorded at least eight digs on 18 occasions.

NOT SHEEPISH
Freshman Clara Lamb has made a name for herself early on in her UIC career, making a big impact for the Flames both offensively and defensively. Lamb was named to the All-Tournament team at the Omaha Challenge, UCF Challenge and the Chicago Cup after standout performances at all three tournaments. The freshman has racked up 197 kills, and is hitting at a clip of .222 (197k-75e-549a) after a career-high 15 kill performance on Friday at Cleveland State. Defensively, Lamb has accumulated 64 total blocks for a 0.70 per set average. On Saturday against Oakland, Lamb matched her career-high of six total blocks for the third time this season.  

ACED IT
UIC is the Horizon League's runner-up in service aces, averaging 1.40 aces per set. Manuela Conte ranks second in the League with a 0.36 aces per set average, followed by Marija Borcic in fourth (0.31 aces per set) and Carla Salvato in tenth (0.24 aces per set). The Flames have recorded 134 aces as a team, compared to 96 by their opponents. UIC opponents average 1.00 aces per set, third-lowest in the Horizon League.

DOUBLED UP
Four Flames have posted double-doubles this season: Marija Borcic, Manuela Conte, Lauren Musante and Paola Santiago. Borcic leads the squad with 12, followed by Santiago with nine, Conte with four and Musante with three. Borcic and Santiago double-doubled in both matches last weekend, with Borcic posting career highs in both digs (30) and assists (63) on Friday at Cleveland State. Saturday at Oakland, Santiago's double-double included a career-high tying 16 digs from the freshman.

FRESH FACES
UIC welcomes 11 newcomers to the 2018 squad, 10 of which are freshman. Tatyana Ndekwe is a junior transfer from Hutchison, and Sierra Bolen, Marija Borcic, Hailey Duncan, Paola Santiago, Michelle Glover, Clara Lamb, Lauren Musante, Velina Minkova, Francesca Wagoner and Emily Kelly make up the squad's 10 freshmen. The newcomers are already making an impact, as 50 percent of UIC's kills and 56 percent of its digs and blocks have come at the hands of a first-year Flame. 

SENIORITY
The Flames will be honoring seniors Ali Witt and Carla Salvato at the conclusion of Friday's match against the Norse. Salvato, a local talent coming out of neighboring Saint Ignatius College Prep is averaging 2.28 digs per set and her 0.24 service aces per set this season ranks ninth in the League.
Witt hails from suburban Crystal Lake, Ill., and has been a strong mid-court presence for the Flames the past two seasons. The senior was named MVP at this year's UIC Invitational after leading the Flames to a perfect 3-0 appearance. She averaged 2.00 kills per set in the tournament, registering a .469 attack percentage (18k-3e-32a) while registering a mere three errors across all three matches.

SCOUTING NORTHERN KENTUCKY
Northern Kentucky are on a three-match win streak after sweeping Youngstown State last night, 3-0. The Norse lead the Horizon League in hitting percentage (.208), assists (13.05 per set) kills (13.72 per set) and digs (19.76 per set). Senior Haley Libs leads the Norse offense with a 4.06 kills per set average, making her the League's runner-up. Sophomore Ashton Terrill leads the League in digs, averaging 5.59 per set. The last meeting between the Norse and the Flames on Oct. 7 ended 3-2 in favor of the Flames.

SCOUTING YOUNGSTOWN STATE
The Penguins are on a ten-game skid following yesterday's 3-0 loss to Northern Kentucky. Youngstown State is fifth in the conference in service aces (1.11 per set) as well as digs (17.47 per set). Aleah Hughes leads the Penguins offense with a 2.77 kills per set average, putting her at eighth in the League, while Alexia Byrnes sets up Youngstown's State's attacks with an average of 6.94 assists per set, putting her at sixth in the League. The Flames swept the Penguins earlier this season on Oct. 5, 3-0.  

LOOKING AHEAD
The Flames will face Milwaukee on Thursday, Nov. 8 in their final home match of the regular season.