CHICAGO – The UIC volleyball team (9-2) brought down city rival Chicago State (3-8) on Tuesday evening by a final tally of 3-1 (21-25, 25-14, 26-24,25-19). The Flames rallied after dropping set one to take the next three behind a season's best 15.5 total team blocks.

Match Highlights
Set One

• The Flames trailed by one 16-15, when a kill and a block for the Cougars pushed the lead to three, 18-15.
• The two teams went back and forth on scores, allowing Chicago State to keep its distance.
• The Cougars ended the set with a kill, 25-21, to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

Set Two

• Leading by a pair, 12-10, the Flames went off on an 8-0 run to put the set out of reach for Chicago State, 20-10.
• The Cougars would not be able to put together more than two points for the remainder of the set, as the Flames sped off to a 25-14 win.

Set Three

• UIC led by three, 22-19, when a kill and a Flames attack error put the Cougars within one, 22-21.
• A Paola Santiago termination put UIC ahead by a pair, 23-21, but back-to-back kills for Chicago State tied the set at 23.
• Santiago buried another, but the Cougars answered with a kill of their own, bringing the set back to a draw.
• Michelle Glover notched a kill and joined up with Marija Borcic for a block to put the Flames over the edge, 26-24.

Set Four

• The Flames bounced back from an early 7-2 deficit with five-straight points to tie the set at seven.
• Brookah Palmer found the floor for the Flames, Tatyana Ndekwe and Santiago made a block and Manuela Conte served up an ace to put the Flames ahead by four, 18-14, and the lead pushed to five, 22-17, after more kills from Santiago as well as a Chicago State attack error.
• The Cougars buried one, but Glover and Palmer chipped in one kill apiece to put the Flames at match point.
• Chicago State got one more, but its final attack went long, handing the Flames the set, 25-19.

Facts & Figures

• Paola Santiago turned in her second double-double of the season, tallying 14 kills and 13 digs.
• Alexandria Hicks led the way for UIC's offense, hitting .364 with a game-high 15 kills.
• Michelle Glover was near a double-double with 12 kills and a season's best nine total blocks.
• Velina Minkova paced the defense with 24 digs, while Manuela Conte recorded 16. Conte also had a pair of service aces in the match.
• The Flames had three players with five or more blocks in Glover (9), Hicks (6) and Tatyana Ndekwe (6). Santiago also stopped four, while Kiera James stopped three.
• Marija Borcic dished out a game-high 36 assists, while Lauren Musante assisted on 15.
• UIC held the slight advantage in kills, 58-56. They also led in digs by the same margin, 82-80.
• The Flames more than doubled Chicago State's block total, 15.5-7.

Up Next

• The week of city rivalries continues as the Flames head to DePaul for the Chicago Cup.

Postgame Interview - Paola Santiago & Michelle Glover