CHICAGO – The UIC volleyball team closes out non-conference play this weekend at the annual Chicago Cup. This year's event is being hosted by Northwestern, with UIC, Loyola and DePaul making the trip to Evanston for the two-day event.
 
The Flames will open the annual tournament on Friday with a 7 p.m. match against Northwestern before closing out action with matches against Loyola (10 a.m.) and DePaul (5:30 p.m.) on Saturday.
 
Last Time Out
The Flames played its first home matches of the season last weekend, hosting the UIC Invitational. UIC picked up a 3-0 sweep of Belmont and a 3-1 victory over Chicago State to finish the event with a 2-1 record and a three-way tie for the tournament title. The Flames' lone defeat came to Eastern Michigan, who rallied from a set down for a 3-1 win in the middle match of the weekend.
 
Delucchi Grabs Player of the Week Honors
Sophomore Martina Delucchi was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Wednesday, becoming the first Flame this year to collect the weekly award. The sophomore picked up her first weekly honor of her career after being named to the All-Tournament Team of the UIC Invitational. 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. In UIC's 3-1 win over Chicago State, Delucchi finished with a career-high 21 kills, connecting at a .375 hitting percentage while recording 5.25 kills per set. The La Plata, Argentina native added 17 kills against Eastern Michigan and 11 kills in UIC's sweep of Belmont. For the weekend, Delucchi recorded 4.45 kills per set while matching the team lead with five aces.
 
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.
 
Fresh Faces
UIC welcomes four new players to the roster this year in addition to a fifth player who will be making her Flames debut after a redshirt year. Head Coach Justin Ingram announced the addition of freshmen Kayanna Jones (Normal, Ill.), Jacquelyn Robinson (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Salma Abdelhady (Cairo, Egypt) in addition to sophomore transfer Grace Zambrano from Chicago State (Wheeling, Ill.). Liza Garrido, who joined the Flames this past spring but did not compete in any matches, returns for her redshirt freshman season.
 
Hi and Low
The 2021 UIC volleyball team features one of the largest height discrepancies between its tallest and shortest player on the roster among all Division I athletic programs. Freshman Salma Abdelhady measures in at 6-foot-10, believed to be the tallest player in program history.  Conversely, UIC features a pair of 5-foot-0 players in sophomore twins Abigail Sunga and Amelia Sunga.
 
International Flavor
UIC once again features an internationally diverse lineup, with four different countries represented (including the United States) and five different players who reside outside the United States. The Flames have two players from Egypt in Salma Abdelhady and Sohila Wafeek and two from Argentia in Martina Delucchi and Liza Garrido, while Paola Santiago hails from Puerto Rico. The five international players join 12 US players who come from four states (Minnesota, Nevada, California, Illinois). Eight players call Illinois their home.
 
Fan Attendance Policy
At this time, UIC will allow fans to attend home games at Flames Athletic Center regardless of vaccination status. All fans will be subject to temperature screening upon arrival and must wear a facial covering at all times when indoors per current University of Illinois Chicago policy. Anyone failing to comply with the policy will be removed from the premises.