DES MOINES, Iowa (Sept. 29, 2023) – The UIC volleyball team (12-5, 3-1 MVC) secured the victory in a five-set thriller against Drake (9-6, 2-1 MVC) Friday night.
This is the first time the Flames have defeated the Bulldogs since 2013 and UIC's first road win at Drake since Sept. 1988.
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FIRST SET (25-21, UIC)
- After trading points early, the Flames went on a 5-0 run highlighted by two kills from senior Martina Delucchi (La Plata, Argentina/ San Cayetano). UIC led early 10-7.
- Senior Zahria Woodard's (Oak Park, Ill./ Oak Park and River Forest) second kill of the match increased UIC's lead 15-12 midway through the set.
- After senior setter Sohila Wafeek's (Cairo, Egypt/ Al Gomhorya Language School) ace earlier in the set, senior libero Jaclyn Oblena (Orland Park, Ill./ Carl Sandburg) earned the Flames' second ace of the set to keep UIC ahead 17-14.
- Sophomore Ayat Amin (Cairo, Egypt/ Al Waha International School) collected all three of her kills of the set late in the set, giving the Flames a 22-19 lead late.
- After a bad set from Drake pushed UIC to set point, Wafeek's first kill of the 2023 season earned the Flames their first set victory of the night.
SECOND SET (25-19, Drake)
- The Flames started off the set with a 3-0 rally behind two blocking assists from senior Becca Oldendorf (Lockport, Ill. / Lockport Township).
- Tied 9-9, freshman Gabi Peter (Gilbert, Ill./Hampshire) collected her first kill of the match to give UIC the 10-9 lead.
- The Bulldogs' 4-0 rally was thwarted after sophomore Cleo Lorenzo (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/ Elite) earned her fourth kill of the match. UIC trailed 13-11 midway through the set.
- After Lorenzo's fifth kill was confirmed by a successful challenge from UIC, an attack error from Drake brought the Flames to their 19th point before the Bulldogs earned their first set victory to tie the match at 1-1.
THIRD SET (25-22, Drake)
- Kills from Lorenzo and Peter contributed to UIC tying it at 5-5 with Drake early in the set.
- Lorenzo's second kill of the set ended a 5-0 rally for Drake as UIC trailed 10-6.
- The Flames responded after a Bulldogs rally with a 5-1 rally of their own. Lorenzo collected an additional two kills and a service ace. Delucchi earned two more kills, to bring her total to 11 on the match.
- Oldendorf's fourth kill of the match tied it up for the 10th time in the set at 19-19.
- Amin earned two kills late in the set. However, Drake won the third set 25-22 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
FOURTH SET (25-22, UIC)
- Coming out of a timeout, two kills from Woodard and Delucchi's 13th kill of the night kept UIC close, as the Flames trailed Drake 5-4.
- After the Bulldogs extended their lead 15-7, the Flames went red hot, going on a 14-6 run. A blocking assist from Peter and Woodard tied it at 18-18 entering the latter part of the set.
- After a kill from Peter was followed by a blocking assist from Lorenzo and Oldendorf, Lorenzo earned her 15th kill of the match to bring UIC one point away from set victory.
- The Flames tied the match at 2-2 after an ace from sophomore setter Francesca Venturini (Bergamo, Italy/Liceo Classico Paolo Sarpi).
FIFTH SET (15-7, UIC)
- The Flames went on a 9-0 rally to begin the set behind two aces from Oldendorf and two kills from Amin.
- Delucchi's 19th and final kill of the match increased UIC's lead later on 12-2.
- Peter's seventh kill of the night was soon followed by an attack error from Drake, forcing the match to match point. The Flames' win was secured behind Amin's 16th kill of the match a few points later.
UP NEXT FOR THE FLAMES
The Flames travel further down I-80 to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to take on Northern Iowa (9-6, 3-0 MVC) Saturday night. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+ and live stats will be available to follow along at
UICFlames.com.
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