ORLANDO, Fla. – The UIC volleyball team (5-5) was unable to get the job done Saturday morning in its final match of the UCF Challenge, falling 3-0 (25-27, 22-25, 21-25) to FIU (6-3).

The Flames end the UCF Challenge with a 1-2 showing, following yesterday's win over Wofford and loss to UCF. Clara Lamb paced the Flames offense, averaging 2.70 kills per set to represent the Flames on the All-Tournament Team. The freshman hit .280 in the tournament (27k-6e-75a), and averaged 0.70 blocks per set.

Tatyana Ndekwe led the Flames at the net with an average of 1.00 blocks per set, while Velina Minkova led the way in digs, averaging 4.00 scoops per set.

Match Highlights

• Set One: FIU owned a comfortable 20-13 lead late in the first, but following a timeout, the Flames grabbed six straight to come within one, 20-19.
• Set One: The Flames and the Panthers remained close from that point, battling for the two-point edge. A FIU kill and service ace landed the Panthers on top, 27-25.
• Set Two: The second frame continued as the first ended, as neither team led by more than a pair until a 3-0 run for FIU gave the Panthers a 20-16 edge.
• Set Two: A block from Manuela Conte and Ali Witt broke up the Panthers' scoring, and the Flames were eventually able to come back within one after a 3-0 streak, 22-21, forcing a FIU timeout.  
• Set Two: Following the break, Paola Santiago buried a feed from Lauren Musante to tie the set at 22, but the Panthers took three straight to end the set, 25-22.
• Set Three: Back-and-forth rallies told the story in the third, starting early with a 5-0 streak for FIU for a 7-3 lead. The Flames took four straight to take back the lead 9-8, but a 6-0 rally for the Panthers put the advantage back in their hands, 16-13.
• Set Three: A pair of three-point streaks once again turned the tides, giving UIC a 20-19 edge, but FIU would have the final say, taking its last four in-a-row to finish off the Flames, 25-21.

Facts & Figures

• Ali Witt and Clara Lamb led on offense with eight kills apiece. Paola Santiago followed with seven, and Manuela Conte netted six.
• ­Marija Borcic tallied 12 digs to lead the Flames, adding to her 17 helpers for her fourth double-double this season.
• Conte also recorded a double-digit dig effort with 10.
• FIU had the advantage in blocks, 9-8, with Tatyana Ndekwe's five total blocks leading the Flames. Santiago finished the match with four.

Up Next

• The Flames will be competing against Northwestern, DePaul and Loyola in the Chicago Cup, beginning Friday, Sept. 14.