CHICAGO (Nov. 2, 2023) – The UIC volleyball team (16-10, 7-6 MVC) embarks on its final road trip in Missouri Valley Conference play with matches this weekend at Illinois State (11-14, 9-4 MVC) and Bradley (9-17, 2-11 MVC). The Flames face off against the Redbirds on Friday and battle the Braves on Saturday. Both matches will start at 6 p.m.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE

• The Flames aim to bounce back after falling 3-0 to the Redbirds in their first meeting on Oct. 7. Senior Zahria Woodard (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park and River Forest) led the attack with nine kills and six blocks that match, while sophomore Cleo Lorenzo (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Elite) collected eight kills and three block against the Redbirds.
• Illinois State maintained a nine-match winning streak heading into Iowa last weekend before dropping matches against Northern Iowa (19-6, 14-0 MVC) and Drake (18-7, 11-2 MVC)
• The Redbirds average the seventh-most kills per set (12.61) and points per set (16.02) in The Valley.
• Sophomore Aida Shadewald has tallied 300 kills this year for Illinois State, the ninth-best kills per set (3.45) in the MVC.

SCOUTING BRADLEY

• In their last meeting in early October, the Flames routed the Braves with a 3-0 match sweep at Credit Union 1 Arena. Lorenzo collected nine kills in the win and Woodard contributed eight kills and six blocks.
• In the Braves' last homestand two weeks ago, they earned their first two conference wins of the season against Indiana State (3-20, 1-12 MVC) and Evansville (8-17, 3-10 MVC).  
• Bradley remains dangerous from the service line and currently leads the MVC with 158 aces this season. The Braves also average the fourth-most blocks per set in the conference, averaging 2.10 per set.
• Sophomore Kendall Minta has been effective on both the attack and defense for the Braves. She has the 11^th best hitting percentage (.311) and the fourth-best blocks per set (1.05) in the MVC.

BY THE NUMBERS

• In their win against Murray State (13-9, 7-6 MVC) last Friday, the Flames collected 69 kills, tying for the third-most this season.
• In the 3-0 victory against Belmont, UIC's .333 hitting percentage on the attack was the most effective the Flames have been in its past nine matches.
• Senior Martina Delucchi (La Plata, Argentina/San Cayetano) led the Flames with 31 kills last weekend. The senior also collected 18 digs, four blocks, four assists and one ace over the homestand.
• After a 14-block performance at home last weekend, Woodard has tallied 387 blocks in her collegiate career and ranks fourth in program history.
• Sitting at 1,438 digs in her collegiate career, senior libero Jaclyn Oblena (Orland Park, Ill./ Carl Sandburg) has moved her to third in career digs at UIC.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

• Each match will be available to stream on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available as well at UICFlames.com.
• For more information, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_Volleyball and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_volleyball and @uicflames).