DAYTON, Ohio (Sept. 7, 2023) – The UIC volleyball team joins the pool of competitors set to compete at the Dayton Invitational, beginning Friday, Sept. 8.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 15 kills from sophomore Ayat Amin (Cairo, Egypt) marks a new career and season high for the outside hitter. She leads the Flames in kills with 87 this season.
• .401 hitting percentage from senior Becca Oldendorf (Lockport, Ill.) is the second-best in the Missouri Valley Conference. The middle blocker has racked up 10 plus kills in three matches for the Flames.
• 14 digs from senior libero Jaclyn Oblena (Orland Park, Ill.) against Illinois has now extended her streak of 10 matches in a row with 10 plus digs. This streak dates back to a win against Murray State last November.
• 37 total blocks from senior middle blocker Zahria Woodard (Oak Park, Ill.) leads The Valley in that category. She averages 1.48 blocks per set.
• The Flames remain second in the conference in average points per set (17.72) and in hitting percentage (.266).

SCOUTING WRIGHT STATE (2-4)

• UIC first clashes with its former Horizon League opponent for the first time since 2021. This will be the 64^th time these teams have competed with one another, with the Flames leading the overall series 36-27.
• UIC head coach Justin Ingram has a 4-3 record against the Raiders since taking over the program back in 2017
• The Raiders two victories were match sweeps against Troy and Loyola this season.
• Wright State ranks third in the Horizon for average points per set with 15.86. They are also fifth in team kills with 273.
• With 73 kills to her name so far, graduate student Megan Alders averages 3.32 kills per set. That is ranked seventh in the Horizon League.

SCOUTING DAYTON (5-2)

• This will be the first time the Flames and the Flyers will compete since Sept. 1983. The Flyers won the lone match-up in a match sweep.
• The Flyers have had a strong start to the season, beginning with a match sweep against the formerly ranked Western Kentucky (4-3) and falling in five-set thrillers to No. 24 Marquette (2-3) and No.  2 Louisville (7-0). They also have wins against North Dakota State, Butler and fellow Missouri Valley Conference member Drake.
• The Flyers have landed .262 percent of their hits, placing them second in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Collecting 100 blocks as a team, Dayton is first in the Atlantic 10 in thwarting the attack.
• The Flyer's Alyssa Miller leads the entire conference with 248 assists this season. She averages 9.92 per set.
• The tandem of junior Amelia Moore and redshirt junior Alayna Yates are among the top blockers in their conference, each averaging 1.08 blocks per set.

SCOUTING BALL STATE (2-4)

• This will be the fourth match-up between UIC and Ball State. It will also be the first match since 2013.  The Flames look to win their first match against the Cardinals, as Ball State has won all three of its previous meetings.
• Ball State's lone two wins came in its own tournament, the Ball State Invitational to open the season back on Aug. 25. They started off with a match sweep against Gonzaga. Closing out the Invitational the next night, Ball State swept Purdue Fort Wayne in three sets.
• Redshirt freshman Aniya Kennedy leads the attack for the Cardinals this season with 55 kills, averaging 3.44 per set.  Sophomore Madison Buckley also has collected 53 kills for the Cardinals.
• Junior setter Megan Wielonski isn't going to miss her open teammate, tallying 213 assists for Ball State in the season so far. She also leads the team with eight service aces.

UIC'S DAYTON INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 6

• UIC vs. Wright State, 10 a.m. CT
• UIC vs. Dayton, 6 p.m. CT.

Saturday, Sept. 7

• UIC vs. Ball State, 10 a.m. CT

FOLLOW THE FLAMES

• The Flames' match against Dayton at 6 p.m. CT on Friday will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats will be available for each of UIC's three matches at the Dayton Invitational.
• 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).