CHICAGO – The UIC volleyball team (14-2, 14-1 HL) proved itself resilient on Sunday in the Horizon League Semifinals, fighting back from a 2-0 deficit and an 18-8 deficit in set four to defeat defending conference champion Northern Kentucky (9-5, 8-5 HL) in a five-set thriller. With the win, UIC advances to the Horizon League Championship match for the first time since 2012, where they will meet with regular season champion Wright State.

Set One Highlights

• The Norse utilized a 3-0 run to take a 12-8 lead in set one. The two teams traded points from there, until NKU's lead eventually grew to five, 18-13.
• The Flames took three of the next four via a pair of NKU misplays and a Becca Oldendorf kill, but the Norse responded with the same, leaving the lead at four, 21-17.
• NKU put down a pair of kills to get to set point, 24-18. Francesca Wagoner chipped in one last kill for UIC before the Norse would end it, 25-19.

Set Two Highlights

• Northern Kentucky broke a 13-13 tie with a 5-1 series to take a four-point lead, 18-14.
• Martina Delucchi put down a kill and joined up with Zahria Woodard on the block to put the Flames within two, 20-18, but a later 3-0 run for the Norse would put them at set point, 24-19.
• Delucchi collected one more kill in the frame before an NKU termination ended the set, 25-20.

Set Three Highlights

• UIC expanded on a two-point lead, 8-6, with five-straight points, 13-6.
• NKU threatened the lead with a 5-1 run, 16-13, but a kill from Woodard and a Norse attack error gave UIC some insurance, 18-13.
• The Flames kept the Norse at bay from then on, eventually leading by seven, 23-17.
• A Mikala Henderson kill and a Sohila Wafeek ace ended the set in favor of UIC, 25-17.

Set Four Highlights

• Set four started off all Northern Kentucky, with the Norse jumping out to an 18-8 lead.
• The Flames got to work chipping away at the lead, rattling off seven-straight points to cut NKU's lead down to just three, 18-15.
• The Norse ended UIC's streak with a kill, but Delucchi got the Flames right back in it with a kill and a service ace, 19-17.
• Northern Kentucky got a kill, which was immediately followed by a Paola Santiago termination and a Santiago/Oldendorf block to put the Flames just one away, 20-19.
• The Norse were hanging on to a two-point lead, 22-20, when a pair of terminations for Henderson and a Santiago ace turned the tables and gave the lead to UIC, 23-22.
• An NKU termination tied it at 23, but the Flames picked up a kill from Delucchi and an ace from Oldendorf to complete the comeback win, 25-23.

Set Five Highlights

• The Flames carried the momentum from their comeback win in set four into the early stages of set five, jumping out to a 10-4 lead.
• A UIC service error and a Norse ace gave Northern Kentucky a pair, 10-6, but the next pair went to the Flames after a Santiago kill and a misplaced NKU attack, 12-6.
• The Norse put together a 3-0 run off two kills and a block, 12-9.
• Santiago and Oldendorf combined to put away UIC's final three points as the Flames took the tiebreaker set, 15-9.

Facts & Figures

• The Flames are making just their third all-time appearance in the Horizon League title match after advancing to the Championship in both 2006 and 2012.
• UIC will be seeking its first Horizon League title in program history.
• Paola Santiago, Martina Delucchi and Morgan Kull all finished with double-doubles for the Flames. Delucchi led the team in kills, terminating 18 while also digging out 18. Santiago led the way in digs, collecting 20 digs to go with 17 kills, while Kull ended the day with 13 digs to go with 29 assists.
• Delucchi was one of the Flames' most efficient attackers, hitting .381 (18k-2e-42a) in the match with only two errors.
• Mikala Henderson tallied nine kills, while Zahria Woodard and Becca Oldendorf each tallied eight.
• Woodard finished the day hitting a team-high .429 (8k-2e-14a), while Oldendorf ended the day hitting .318 (8k-1e-22a).
• Sohila Wafeek was in double-double territory with 19 assists and eight digs. The freshman also tallied a team-high three service aces.
• Libero Jaclyn Oblena contributed 11 digs on defense.
• Northern Kentucky had a slight edge in kills, 64-63, and it also finished with more blocks, 9-4. The Flames finished with more digs, 75-69, and were more efficient, hitting .265 (63k-20e-162a) as a team, compared to .259 (64k-21e-166a) hitting for the Norse.

Up Next

• UIC will travel to Dayton, Ohio to face off with No. 1 seed Wright State in the championship match on Saturday, April 3 at 12 p.m. CT.
• Fans can tune into the game on ESPN+.

Game Recap



Highlights