CHICAGO – In their lone tune-up before the start of the regular season, the UIC volleyball team dropped an exhibition match to Bradley Saturday afternoon by a 4-0 margin.
 
Bradley clinched the match with 25-15, 25-19 and 25-16 victories before the two teams agreed to play a fourth set. UIC pulled within one point of the Braves late in the fourth frame, but Bradley scored the final four points to secure the 25-21 victory in the fourth.
 
Saturday provided head coach Justin Ingram an opportunity to get every player on the roster out on the court, as all 17 student-athletes made an appearance in the match. Freshman Salma Abdelhady shined in her UIC debut, registering a team-high eight kills while picking up a block.
 
Morgan Kull and Sohila Wafeek shared the setting duties against the Braves, with Kull dishing out a team-best 17 while Wafeek added 10. Kull was also in a three-way tie for the most digs on the team Saturday afternoon with seven, sharing the honors with Jaclyn Oblena and Martina Delucchi.
 
UIC opens the regular season Aug. 27-28 in Indianapolis at the Top Dawg Challenge, hosted by Butler.
 
First Set Notes

• After Bradley opened to a 3-0 lead, four consecutive points put the Flames in front by one. Abdelhady had a kill while the Braves added a trio of errors in the scoring run.
• A 6-1 run by the Braves made it a 16-11 advantage before back-to-back kills by Paola Santiago pulled the Flames within three.
• UIC's run was short-lived, as Bradley closed out the set to take a 25-15 victory.

 
Second Set Notes

• The Braves controlled the tempo of the second set, taking the lead at 2-1 and playing from in front the remainder of the set.
• UIC battled down the stretch to stay within striking distance of Bradley, securing its best hitting percentage of the match during the second set. UIC hit .211 for the set but was unable to slow down the Braves' .357 attack.

 
Third Set Notes

• UIC began to expand its bench in the third set, with Grace Zambrano, Liza Garrido, Jackie Yau and Abigail Sunga all getting extended action.
• Bradley took a 4-1 lead to open the set, but kills by Abdelhady and Zahria Woodard pulled the Flames win one at 4-3. It was the closest UIC would get, as Bradley's lead would slowly grow up to a 23-13 lead. The Braves would close out the set and the match, with the two teams agreeing to come back out for one final set.