CHICAGO -- The UIC volleyball team wraps up a four-match homestand this Thursday and Sunday as the Flames play host to IUPUI and Purdue Fort Wayne in Horizon League action.

The Flames will serve it up agianst the Jaguars on Thursday at 6 p.m. and will wrap up the weekend with a 2 p.m. match against the Mastodons. Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Last Time Out
• The Flames opened up their homestand with a pair of 3-0 sweeps, defeating Youngstown State and Robert Morris in a pair of Horizon League matches.
• UIC had its highest hitting percentage of the year against the Penguins, hitting at a .384 clip. The high water mark was shattered the very next match, as UIC connected at a .439 clip against the Colonials.
• The Flames once again dominated the service line, collecting 16 aces in the two matches while limiting their opponents to six aces.

Flames Earn Player of the Week Honors
• UIC has had a pair of Flames earn Horizon League Player of the Week honors this year, with Paola Santiago earning the recognition on Oct. 20 after Martina Delucchi claimed the award on Sept. 15. 
• Santiago led the way with a pair of double-digit kills matches and ended the weekend with 26 total kills (4.33/set) while hitting at a .500 hitting percentage and adding five aces.
• In UIC's 3-0 sweep of Robert Morris, Santiago had 15 kills with only three errors on 22 total attacks for a season-best .545 hitting percentage.
• Delucchi was named to the All-Tournament Team of the UIC Invitational after leading the Flames to a 2-1 record and a three-way tie for the tournament title.
• Delucchi led the team in kills in all three matches, finishing with a team-high 49 kills. Her 49 kills over the three matches were more than twice as many as the next closest Flame. For the weekend, Delucchi recorded 4.45 kills per set while matching the team lead with five aces.

Serve It Up
• The Flames have excelled all year from the service line, ranking 23rd nationally with 133 aces on the year. As a team, UIC averages 1.80 per set, third-best in the conference.
• Individually, Martina Delucchi ranks fourth in the Horizon League and 33rd nationally with a team-leading 30 aces this year.
• Delucchi has six matches this year with two or more aces, including a career-high four aces in UIC's match against Green Bay on Sept. 28, and has at least one ace in all but two matches this year.

Swing Away
• As a team, the UIC offense ranks third in the Horizon League and 60th nationally with 13.34 kills per set.
• Individually, Becca Oldendorf is one of the most efficient hitters in the conference, connecting at a .322 hitting percentage to rank third in the Horizon League.
• As a result of their high-performing offense, UIC ranks second in the conference with 12.41 assists per set this year.
• UIC has been averaging 36.58 attacks per set, second-most in the Horizon League and 50th nationally.
Looking Back
• Despite having its season pushed to the Spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last year's squad had one of the best seasons in program history. The Flames finished the season with a 14-3 overall record and a 13-1 mark in conference play while making an appearance in the Horizon League championship match for the first time since 2012. 
• UIC's .824 winning percentage was the best in the program's Division I history and second-best in program history, falling just shy of the .857 winning percentage (24-4) recorded by the 1972 squad that competed prior to the department's transition to Division I status in 1981.
• Additionally, the Flames finished second in the Horizon League with a 13-1 conference mark, tied for the program's highest regular season finish in the conference standings in program history.
• UIC's .929 winning percentage in conference games was the best in program history.

Preseason Expectations
• Fresh off an appearance in the Horizon League championship match a year ago, the Flames were picked to finish second in the league in the #HLVB Preseason Poll, voted on by the League's coaches.
• The Flames received 98 points, including one first-place vote, to finish second behind Wright State (119 points – 9 first-place votes). 
• UIC was led by Horizon League Freshman of the Year Becca Oldendorf, All-League First Team member Paola Santiago and All-Freshmen selections, Martina Delucchi and Jaclyn Oblena, who all return to the lineup this season.