CHICAGO (Sept. 21, 2023) – The UIC volleyball program (9-4) will kick off Missouri Valley Conference play and Flames Fest weekend Friday at Credit Union 1 Arena with a match against Southern Illinois (8-3) at 6 p.m. The Flames will also host Missouri State (6-6) Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

• Facing off for the 10^th time against each other, Southern Illinois holds a 7-2 lead in the overall series. The Flames were victorious in a five-set thriller last October in UIC's inaugural season in the MVC. UIC is set to host the Salukis at home for the first time since 1989.
• Enjoying its best start since the 2016 season, the Salukis sport an 8-3 record heading into MVC play. They have wins against schools such as Central Michigan, Chattanooga and UT Martin.
• Southern Illinois ranks third in the MVC in hitting percentage (.240) and ranks fourth in The Valley with 1.74 service aces a match.
• Senior middle blocker Imani Hartfield can't miss on the attack for the Salukis, having collected 78 kills this season. She is ranked third in the MVC in hitting percentage (.384).
• Senior Nataly Garcia has tallied 126 kills this season for Southern Illinois. She averages 3.15 kills per set.
• Friday's match will be available to stream on ESPN+ with Terry Bonadonna on the call.

SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE

• The Flames aim to maintain momentum in their series against the Bears after earning their first win against Missouri State last October. The Bears have a 3-1 lead in the overall series. Saturday's match will be the first time UIC will host Missouri State at home since 1987.
•  The Bears hold a 6-6 record in 2023. Missouri State's wins came against teams including Texas Southern, Lindenwood and Tennessee Martin.
• Missouri State's defense against the attack is one of the strongest in the MVC, ranking fourth in blocks per set (1.96).
• Four different players have 20-plus total blocks for Missouri State. That includes: senior Lindsay Lahr (25), junior Maddy Bushnell (26), redshirt sophomore Josie Halbleib (23) and freshman Neele'ge' Sims (24).
• Senior defensive specialist Teagan Polcovich has the fourth-most digs in the MVC, with 231 so far this season.
• Live stats and social media coverage will be available on UICFlames.com.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 19 total blocks from senior Zahria Woodard (Oak Park, Ill./ Oak Park and River Forest) earned her MVC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Now with 315 total blocks in her collegiate career, Woodard is five kills away from breaking into UIC's Top 10 for career total blocks.
• It has been over 28 years since UIC defeated Northwestern until last Wednesday. The Flames came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Wildcats in five sets.
• The 1239 kills from senior Martina Delucchi (La Plata, Argentina/ San Cayetano) ranks her 10^th all-time in career kills in program history. Delucchi broke into the Top Ten after tallying 21 kills in the Flames' loss to DePaul Saturday.
• A .460 hitting percentage from senior Becca Oldendorf (Lockport, Ill./ Lockport Township) leads all of The Valley. She has collected 110 kills over the season so far.

FLAMES FEST WEEKEND

• Both matches this weekend are part of Flames Fest, presented by Xfinity. UIC's men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball programs will all have home matches from Sept. 22-24 as part of Flames Fest. Head to UICFlames.com for more information.
• Friday's match will be UIC's fall Academic Achievement Night, as the Department of Athletics celebrates the success of the UIC student-athletes in the classroom. It will also be Alumni night, where past members of the UIC volleyball program will be honored throughout the match.
• Volleyball alum Stephenee Yancy (2013-15) will be one of the seven new inductees into the UIC Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023. Yancy was a two-time Horizon League Player of the Year during her two seasons at UIC.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

• 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).