DEKALB, Ill. – The UIC volleyball team rounded out its first tournament season Saturday afternoon, taking on Northern Illinois in the Huskie Invitational. The Flames were unable to get on track, falling by a 3-0 margin.
 
Martina Delucchi led the Flames with 13 kills and fell one dig shy of a double-double with nine. Mikala Henderson finished with 10 kills while Becca Oldendorf finished with seven kills on a .462 hitting percentage.
 
The Huskies took the lead on the opening point of the first set and never looked back, claiming a 25-19 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Northern Illinois' lead grew to 2-0 after a closely contested second set. The Flames took their first lead of the day after a NIU hitting error gave UIC a 11-10 lead. The advantage was short-lived, as NIU used a 7-1 run to take a 17-12 lead. UIC would pull within one late but couldn't close the gap, falling 25-23.
 
UIC nearly pulled the third set out before letting a late lead slip away. A kill by Henderson gave the Flames a 20-18 lead and forced a Northern Illinois timeout. Becca Oldendorf connected from the middle to give UIC set point at 24-23, but three consecutive points by NIU closed the door on the match.
 
UIC returns to action next weekend, making the quick trip to Chicago State's campus for the Windy City Invitational.
 
News and Notes

• Colleen Hege started the second and third sets as the libero, finishing the match with five assists and four digs while racking up a team-high three aces.
• Paola Santiago finished with a team-high 12 digs while Sohila Wafeek added 11.
• The second and third sets combined to have 19 tied scores and seven lead changes.