CHICAGO – The UIC volleyball team will cut the ribbon on the 2019 season this weekend as it competes out west at the Idaho Volleyball Classic. The Flames will face California Baptist and Cal State Fullerton on Friday, Aug. 30 at noon CT and 6:30 p.m., respectively, before finishing up the tournament on Saturday with matches against Eastern Washington (noon) and host Idaho (9 p.m.).

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). Sophomores Marija Borcic and Lauren Musante both return in the setter position, tallying 999 assists and 330 assists in 2018, respectively.

NEW TO THE SQUAD
The Flames welcomed only one newcomer for the 2019 season, Texas A&M transfer Brookah Palmer. Last season with the Aggies, Palmer appeared in 29 of 30 matches, hitting .181 on the season and averaging 1.70 kills, 1.86 digs and 2.09 points per set. 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.

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).

LAST SEASON'S SUCCESS
The 2018 Flames finished with an 18-13 record overall and a 10-6 mark in Horizon League action to end the regular season in fourth place. Last year's squad made the team's trip to the Horizon League Championship semifinals since 2012 after grabbing the program's first postseason win with a 3-0 sweep over Milwaukee in the first round of the tournament. UIC ended the 2018 season in the top three in the League in hitting percentage (.197), kills (13.64 per set), assists (12.84 per set), service aces (1.37 per set) and blocks (2.34 per set).

The 2019 Horizon League preseason poll came out on Wednesday, placing the Flames in third with 66 points and one first-place vote. Defending Horizon League Champion Green Bay was picked to repeat at the top of the League, totaling 75 points and five first-place tallies, followed by Northern Kentucky in second with 67 points and a pair of first-place votes.

FLAMES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
UIC's roster boasts four international players, more than any other Horizon League team. 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
California Baptist posted a 21-11 record with a 9-7 mark as members of the Western Athletic Conference. The Lancers are returning five of six starters and 11 of 13 letter winners from last year, including preseason All-Western Athletic Conference honorees Tesa Oaks and Natalie Zimmerer. UIC and California Baptist will be meeting for the first time in program history on Friday.

Cal State Fullerton went 6-24 in 2018, and was held without a win in Big West Conference action (0-16). The Titans are looking to improve with six new members, five of which are freshmen. Friday's meeting will be the first ever between the Titans and the Flames.

Eastern Washington finished 8-22 overall with an 0-18 record in the Big Sky Conference last year. The Eagles are also looking to improve, adding 10 newcomers to the squad this season. The Flames and Eagles met once on neutral territory back in 1992, ending in a 3-2 win for EWU.

Host Idaho finished 2018 with a 23-10 record and a 15-3 mark in conference action to earn the title of co-regular season champions in the Big Sky Conference. The Vandals have 11 returners and six newcomers on the 2019 roster, and were selected to finish fifth in the Big Sky preseason poll. UIC and Idaho share a 1-1 record all-time after the Vandals took a 3-2 win over the Flames back in 2017.