SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Nov. 21, 2023) – The No.3 seeded UIC volleyball team came up short against No. 2-seeded Drake, 3-0 in the semifinals of the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Championship on Tuesday night at the Hammons Student Center in Springfield, Mo.
 
The Flames were making their second appearance in the MVC semifinals since joining the conference prior to last season, while this was also UIC's fourth consecutive conference tournament semifinals berth and fifth in six years, dating back to its membership in the Horizon League.
 
FIRST SET (25-22, DU)

• After collecting her first kill of the match, senior Martina Delucchi (La Plata, Argentina/San Cayetano) joined Zahria Woodard (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park and River Forest) for a tandem block to give the Flames an early 3-1 lead.
• Senior Becca Oldendorf (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) logged her first kill of the night to stop an early 6-1 rally by the Bulldogs as UIC trailed 8-6.
• Oldendorf's second kill of the set was soon followed by the Flames' first ace of the night, courtesy of freshman Tamara Kisic (Belgrade, Serbia), as the Flames trailed by five (13-8).
• Woodard tallied her second kill of the set, splitting the Drake defenders with her spike as the Flames remained behind at 20-13.
• After a Drake attack error, a pair of kills from Delucchi force the Bulldogs to call a timeout with UIC down by four (22-18).
• After coming back from a seven-point deficit to bring it within one, Oldendorf's fifth kill kept the Flames alive before Drake took the set victory in the next play.

 
SECOND SET (25-16, DU)

• After the Bulldogs took an early 7-1 lead, Woodard denied Drake's Ashlynn Kuhn at the net, collecting her first solo block of the night.
• Back-to-back aces from Oldendorf brought the Flames with three midway through the set (DU 14-11).
• Delucchi's seventh kill of the match and an ace from senior Jaclyn Oblena (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) kept the Flames within three at 18-15.
• Tallying her second kill of the set, freshman Gabi Peter (Gilbert, Ill./Hampshire) ended a late 6-0 rally by the Bulldogs before Drake collected its second set victory.

 
THIRD SET (25-20, DU)

• Back-to-back kills from freshman Za'Niya Boyles (Columbia, S.C./Collegiate Gray Academy) got the Flames off to an early 2-1 lead.
• After a pair of kills from Boyles and Delucchi midway through the set, the Flames remained close, trailing 15-12.
• The Flames rallied late, fighting off four consecutive match points, highlighted by Kisic's second ace of the night Delucchi tallied her 10^th and final kill (24-20) before the Bulldogs secured the match victory in the next play.

 
The Flames move to 21-12 this season and tied for third place in the Missouri Valley Conference with an 11-7 record. It's the third consecutive 20-win season for the UIC under head coach Justin Ingram and the Flames' fourth in his seven years with the program.
 
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).
 
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