CHICAGO (Dec. 9, 2024) – UIC graduate student Zahria Woodard (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park and River Forest) was among the many honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association Tuesday afternoon, being selected to the All-Midwest Region as an Honorable Mention.
 
"Zahria did a phenomenal job her entire career but specifically this year set herself above all other players who've played here prior to," head coach Justin Ingram said. "She put up numbers that were so consistent and so high, she helped lead our team to success. The award is earned, and I feel very proud for her to have been a part of our team and for us to win a lot of games together with her."
 
Woodard finished her career at UIC with her best offensive season yet. She collected 290 kills, maintaining a Missouri Valley Conference-leading .449 hitting percentage, placing her fourth in the entire NCAA DI. Remaining one of the most dominant defenders in front of the net, she collected 177 total blocks, ranking her third in all of DI. She also averaged 1.40 blocks per set, placing her 19^th in the entire NCAA DI.
 
Woodard leaves a trail of accolades in UIC volleyball's record book, including:
 

• Single season record in hitting percentage (.449)
• Single season record in blocking assists (155)
• Single season record in total blocks (177) * 2023 and 2024 season.
• Career total blocks (603)
• Career blocking assists (572).

 
Woodard joins her former teammates in Martina Delucchi (2023), Becca Oldendorf (2023) and Paola Santiago (2021) to earn regional honorable mention honors from the AVCA. This is also Woodard's fourth end-of-the season award, having been selected to the MVC All-Conference and All-Tournament Teams. She was also named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team on Dec. 3.
 
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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