CHICAGO – The UIC volleyball team (19-7, 8-4 HL) faces another split weekend on the road and at home, facing Wright State (21-4, 10-3 HL) on the road on Friday, Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. CT before returning home to welcome Cleveland State (7-17, 3-10 HL)on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Flames outlasted IUPUI in five sets on Friday (Nov. 1) to extend its win streak to seven, but the streak came to an end the following day with a 3-0 loss at Northern Kentucky. UIC's win over IUPUI was its 19th of the season, surpassing last year's win total.

MONSTER BLOCK
The Flames have had a huge presence at the net this season, tallying 244 total blocks as a squad to rank 10th in the nation. UIC averages 2.55 blocks per set as a team, a mark which leads the Horizon League and ranks 32nd in the nation. The Flames' big hands have stopped ten or more on 13 occasions, with four of those occasions coming in at 14 or more, and they have out-blocked their opponents in 19 of their 26 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 1.48 kills per set, and the pair also makes up UIC's two most efficient attackers, hitting .303 and .226, respectively.

Glover leads the Horizon League and ranks 11th in the nation in total blocks, racking up 125 stops this season, 19 more than any other player around the League. The sophomore matched her season-best this weekend at IUPUI, finishing with nine total blocks. Glover's .303 hitting also leads the League, as one of just two players hitting over .300.

LET ME ASSIST YOU
UIC's 12.39 assists per set comes in at fourth 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 sixth and ninth, respectively. Both setters also contribute on the defensive end as well, averaging 2.17 digs per set apiece. The tandem leads the squad in double-doubles, as Musante owns seven and Borcic owns five so far this season.

HICKS TRICKS
Junior Alexandria Hicks has become a big impact player for the Flames this season, averaging 2.30 kills per set. Hicks has brought in double-digit kill efforts on eight occasions this year, reaching her season-high total of 18 on two occasions (at Idaho and at Cleveland State). The junior is hitting an efficient .216 on the season, and has also made contributions on defense, averaging 0.76 blocks per set.  

PAOLA'S POWER
Sophomore Paola Santiago has been an anchor for the UIC offense, averaging 2.18 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 2.30 digs per set, good for third most on the team. The San Juan, Puerto Rico native collected her fourth double-double of the season this past weekend, reeling in 12 kills and 14 digs at IUPUI.

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 2.53 kills per set, 1.64 digs per set and she owns the second-most service aces on the squad with 15. 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
UIC sits in fourth place at 8-4 in the conference, owning a two-game lead over fifth-place Oakland. Statistically, UIC's offense is averaging 13.55 kills per set to come in at second in the League. The Flames also rank fourth in both assists (12.39 per set) as well as hitting percentage (.200). Defensively, UIC leads the League in total blocks (244), as well as blocks per set (2.55).

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 (2.18 per set), Kiera James (2.34 per set), Michelle Glover (2.29 per set), Alexandria Hicks (2.30 per set) and Brookah Palmer (2.53 per set). Together they make up 77 percent of UIC's kills, as each attacker owns nearly 200 or more successful attacks on the season.

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
Wright State has taken over second place in the League after a 3-2 win at Cleveland State on Wednesday night. The Raiders own a defensive prowess that leads the nation and the Horizon League in digs, averaging 19.85 digs per set. Wright State keeps opponents to a mere .141 hitting percentage, allowing 11.88 kills per set. The Flames own a 35-25 advantage all-time, after sweeping the Raiders earlier this season at home, ending their 16-match win streak.

Cleveland State was on the losing end of last night's 3-2 outcome, falling to 3-10 in Horizon League action. The Vikings are third in the League in blocks behind the Flames and the Raiders, averaging 2.40 blocks per set. Offensively Cleveland State ranks seventh in the League in hitting percentage (.189), assists (11.64 per set) and kills (12.24 per set). UIC owns a 43-32 record all-time against the Vikings, taking a 3-1 win on their turf back on Oct. 13.