SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Nov. 20, 2023) – The No. 3-seeded UIC volleyball team takes on second-seeded Drake in the semifinals of the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Championship at 6 p.m. (CT) Tuesday at the Hammons Student Center in Springfield, Mo. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at UICFlames.com.
 
SCOUTING DRAKE

• This is a rematch of last year's MVC semifinal. In UIC's first season in The Valley, the Flames came up short against the Bulldogs in three sets. Senior Martina Delucchi (La Plata, Argentina/San Cayetano) tallied 17 kills and Sohila Wafeek (Cairo, Egypt/Al Gomhorya Language School) collected 40 assists.
• This season, the Flames have had the upper hand and won both meetings. On Sept. 29, the Flames walked away the victors in a five-set thriller in Des Moines. Delucchi led the attack with 19 kills and sophomore Cleo Lorenzo (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Elite) tallied 15 kills in the win.
• In front of a Senior Day crowd on Nov. 11 at Credit Union 1 Arena, the Flames secured the season sweep with a four-set victory over Drake. Delucchi had 17 kills and senior Zahria Woodard (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park and River Forest) posted 10 blocks.
• The Bulldogs grabbed the No. 2 seed after finishing 14-4 in conference play. The only teams they lost to this season were the Flames and the MVC regular season champions, UNI.

 
BATTLIN' THE BEARS

• The Flames punched their ticket to Tuesday's semifinals after a quarterfinal sweep of No. 7 seed (and tournament host) Missouri State Monday night.
• Delucchi posted another double-digit kills night with 15. Senior Becca Oldendorf tallied 11 kills, going six-for-six on attack attempts in the first set alone.
• The Flames collected 52 kills at a .302 hitting percentage, while adding six service aces. Conversely, the UIC serve receive game was on point and did not allow the Bears to collect a single ace.

 
BY THE NUMBERS

• With double-digit kills in 22 matches this season, Delucchi leads the team 385 kills.
• After a six-block performance against Missouri State, Woodard has tallied 164 blocks this season and has broken the UIC single season record previously set by Ambria Springer in 2006 (160 blocks).
• Finishing with a .588 hitting percentage, Oldendorf has 15 matches this season with a .500 hitting percentage or better.

 
NEED TO KNOW

• For more information on the tournament, visit the MVC Championship Central for tickets, updates on the bracket and match recaps.
• 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).