CHICAGO – The UIC volleyball team (16-6, 5-3 HL) begins its second half of Horizon League action this weekend as it continues its homestand with Oakland (12-8, 5-3 HL) and Youngstown State (8-13, 2-6 HL). The Flames and Golden Grizzlies will be facing off on Friday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. CT, while first serve between UIC and the Penguins is set for Saturday, Oct. 26 at 4 p.m.

Saturday will also serve as Senior Day, as seniors Manuela Conte, Tatyana Ndekwe and Brookah Palmer will be honored following the match.

LAST TIME OUT
The Flames have won their last four matches consecutively after taking a 3-2 win over Northern Kentucky and a 3-1 victory over IUPUI last weekend at home. UIC's balanced attack was once again on display, as four Flames recorded double-digit kill efforts against the Norse, while three Flames recorded 10 or more kills against IUPUI.

MONSTER BLOCK
The Flames have had a huge presence at the net this season, tallying 206 total blocks as a squad to rank 13th in the nation. UIC averages 2.51 blocks per set as a team, a mark which ranks second in the Horizon League and 39th in the nation. The Flames' big hands have stopped ten or more on 11 occasions, with three of those occasions coming in at 14 or more, and they have out-blocked their opponents in 16 of their 22 matches.   

STRONG IN THE MIDDLE
UIC's primary middle blockers, Michelle Glover and Tatyana Ndekwe, have given the Flames great strength up at the net both offensively and defensively. Glover is averaging 2.29 kills per set, while Ndekwe averages 1.46 kills per set, and the pair also makes up UIC's two most efficient attackers, hitting .299 and .227, respectively.

Glover leads the Horizon League and ranks 11th in the nation in total blocks, racking up 105 stops this season, seven more than any other player around the League. Her 1.28 blocks per set ranks paces the conference and comes in at 37th nationwide. Offensively, Glover's .299 hitting puts her at fourth in the conference.

LET ME ASSIST YOU
UIC's 12.46 assists per set comes in at second in the Horizon League, thanks in large part to setters Marija Borcic and Lauren Musante. Both Borcic and Musante rank in the conference's top ten in assists, coming in at fifth and ninth, respectively. Both setters also contribute on the defensive end as well, as Borcic averages 2.18 digs per set and Musante averages 2.01 per set. The tandem leads the squad in double-doubles, owning five apiece after both setters turned in a double-double in Friday's match against Northern Kentucky.

HICKS TRICKS
Junior Alexandria Hicks has become a big impact player for the Flames this season, leading UIC's offense with 2.42 kills per set. Hicks has brought in double-digit kill efforts in her last three matches, tallying a season-high 18 at Cleveland State, 16 versus Northern Kentucky and 12 at home against IUPUI. The junior is hitting an efficient .220 on the season, and has also made contributions on defense, averaging 0.80 blocks per set.  

NEW TO THE SQUAD
The Flames brought on board only one newcomer for the 2019 season, Texas A&M transfer Brookah Palmer. Prior to her time in College Station, Palmer spent a season with the University of Houston, where she led the American Athletic Conference and ranked 40th in the nation with 4.15 kills per set. Palmer also led the AAC in both total points (582) and points per set (4.77) in 2015, earning All-American Athletic Conference First Team honors as well as AVCA All-Southeast Region Honorable Mention. As a Flame, Palmer is averaging 2.55 kills per set, 1.52 digs per set and she owns the second-most service aces on the squad with 14. The redshirt senior has three double-doubles on the season, at Idaho (23 kills, 10 digs), vs. Wright State (14 kills, 10 digs) and at Cleveland State (11 kills, 12 digs).  

WHERE WE RANK
Heading in to the second half of Horizon League action, UIC sits in a tie for third, owning a 5-3 conference record alongside Oakland and Wright State. UIC's offense is averaging 13.73 kills per set and 12.46 assists per set, putting it at second in the Horizon League in both categories. As a squad, the Flames are hitting .206, putting them at fifth in the conference. Defensively, UIC leads the League in total blocks (206) and comes up second in blocks per set (2.15), while it also ranks sixth in the conference in digs with an average of 16.94 per set.

PAOLA'S POWER
Sophomore Paola Santiago has been an anchor for the UIC offense, averaging 2.34 kills per set. The sophomore earned the title of Most Valuable Player at the Chippewa Invitational after averaging 3.09 kills per set, 1.91 digs per set and recording four service aces in the tournament. Santiago also makes a statement for the defense, averaging 2.40 digs per set, good for second most on the team. The San Juan, Puerto Rico native recorded her third double-double of the season this past weekend, racking up 12 kills and 10 digs on Saturday against IUPUI.

BALANCED ATTACK
UIC's offense utilizes a balanced attack to spread the ball around to several strong attackers. The Flames have five players averaging at least two kills per set in Paola Santiago (2.34 per set), Kiera James (2.34 per set), Michelle Glover (2.29 per set), Alexandria Hicks (2.42 per set) and Brookah Palmer (2.55 per set). Together they make up 78 percent of UIC's kills, as each attacker nears 200 successful attacks on the season. Friday's match against Northern Kentucky saw four Flames record double-digit kills for the second-straight match, as James (18), Hicks (16), Glover (13) and Palmer (12) all finished in double figures. On Saturday, three Flames reached double-digits in kills, as Santiago (12), Hicks (12) and Glover (11) shared the offensive load.

FRESH FACES ON STAFF
UIC welcomed a pair of new assistants to its staff for the 2019 season, adding Lauren Van Orden on staff in March and Katie Weidner in June. Van Orden joins the Flames after spending four years (2014-17) as an assistant with city-foe Loyola, guiding the Ramblers to a 20-win season back in 2015. Van Orden boasts an incredibly successful collegiate career that started with two years at San Diego State and capped off with a 2011 national championship in her senior season at UCLA. During her two years as a Bruin, Van Orden led the team to a 52-15 record, making 61 starts as the team's setter and captain.

Weidner came to Chicago following stints with the Israel Ministry of Culture and Sport as well as the Israel Volleyball Federation. As a player, Weidner started her collegiate career at New Hampshire University, earning a spot on the 2003 America East All-Rookie Team before transferring to Marquette University. With the Golden Eagles, Weidner was a two-time Academic All-Big East Team honoree (2006-07) ranking seventh in career assists (2,308) and second in single-match assists (85).

WELCOME BACK
UIC returns 14 of its 17 members from the 2018 squad, including Horizon League Freshman of the Year Kiera James and fellow All-League First Team and All-Freshman Team-member Paola Santiago, who both made a splash in their first seasons as Flames. Also back in the lineup is redshirt junior Manuela Conte, after finishing last year with the second most digs in UIC's single-season history (516) and ranking second in the Horizon League in service aces (0.35 per set).

FLAMES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
UIC's roster boasts four international players, more than any of their Horizon League counterparts. Junior Alexandra Drosopoulou hails from Thessaloniki, Greece, sophomore setter Marija Borcic calls Uzice Serbia home, redshirt junior Manuela Conte is from Bologna, Italy, while sophomore Velina Minkova is native to Sofia, Bulgaria.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Oakland has won their last five matches, defeating Cleveland State, 3-2, and sweeping Youngstown State last weekend. The Golden Grizzlies are hitting .207, putting them just ahead of the Flames, while their 12.95 kills per set comes in behind the Flames in fifth. Defensively, Oakland averages 16.10 digs per set to rank eighth in the conference, and its 2.38 blocks per set ranks fourth. UIC is now 4-10 all-time against the Golden Grizzlies after falling 3-0 just three weeks ago at Oakland.

Youngstown State is 2-6 through the first half of League play after splitting last weekend with a 3-1 win over Cleveland State and a 3-0 loss to Oakland. The Penguins rank eighth in the conference in hitting percentage (.148), assists (10.71 per set) and kills (11.32 per set). On the defensive side, Youngstown State is seventh in digs per set (16.49) and eighth in blocks (1.66 per set). The Flames have a 34-12 advantage all time after sweeping the Penguins on their own turf back on Oct. 4.