Macomb, Ill. (Sept. 7, 2024) – The UIC volleyball team's (5-1, 0-0 MVC) attack could not be stopped, defeating Western Illinois (2-3, 0-0 OVC) in a four-set victory Saturday afternoon. The Flames complete their weekend with a 2-1 record in the Leatherneck Classic.
 
Graduate student Zahria Woodard (Oak Park, Ill./ Oak Park and River Forrest) collected 12 kills and two blocks. Junior Cleo Lorenzo (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Elite) tallied a dozen kills and digs in the victory. Senior Kayanna Jones (Normal, Ill./Normal West) gathered 12 kills and sophomore Za' Niya Boyles (Columbia, S.C./ Gray Collegiate Academy) earned 10 kills.
 
The full box score and play-by-play recap against Western Illinois can be found here.
 

?? with the victory!

Four Flames earn double-digit kills in the win: Zahria Woodard (12), Cleo Lorenzo (12), Kayanna Jones (12) and Za' Niya Boyles (11).

We will see you all at ?? at @CU1Arena next Thursday against Bowling Green! #ChicagosCollegeTeam ???? pic.twitter.com/qfXA1ylb6F

— UIC Volleyball ???? (@UIC_Volleyball) September 7, 2024

 
COMMENT FROM HEAD COACH JUSTIN INGRAM
 

Head coach Justin Ingram shares his thoughts on today's victory against Western Illinois! ????#ChicagosCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/qYQ3wJSy8u

— UIC Volleyball ???? (@UIC_Volleyball) September 7, 2024

 
"Playing against Western Illinois in front of their home crowd was going to be a challenge. We knew coming in that Western Illinois was a good defensive team and they don't let a lot of balls drop. We were going to have our work cut out for us on the offensive end. In the first set, Western Illinois was very efficient and had zero attack errors and we didn't error too much, but ended up losing that set. As the match progressed, we felt a bit more comfortable and a bit more efficient on our side as well. Some big props to some of the key players of the game. I thought of course Zahria was fantastic on the offensive end, also had key blocks as well. Also Kayanna Jones had high efficiency and Za'Niya Boyles on the right side did a fantastic job with some key kills in key moments for the Flames.
 
COMMENT FROM SENIOR KAYANNA JONES  
 

Senior Kayanna Jones was happy to play her part in the team victory against Western Illinois!#ChicagosCollegeTeam ???? pic.twitter.com/B9QqTfhkrS

— UIC Volleyball ???? (@UIC_Volleyball) September 7, 2024

 
"Feeding off my team's momentum was something that I truly depended on.  The energy was high, everybody was loud, cheering and ready to go. It just made me want to kill the ball even more! It was a great experience; a great time and I had fun getting the win with my team."
 
COMMENT FROM GRADUATE STUDENT ZAHRIA WOODARD  
 
"I thought today was super fun to be out on the court with my teammates. The energy was amazing, and to be able to feed off the other people on the court as well as the rest of my teammates was just awesome. Everyone going in so hard with them outside, middle or right side just made my life a lot easier. It was great and we had a lot of fun."
 
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
 

Set 1

Back-to-back kills from Gabi Peter late in the set!

??: 14
??: 23

?? https://t.co/Jyu9HSL1W2#ChicagosCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/ueXUe4DP6f

— UIC Volleyball ???? (@UIC_Volleyball) September 7, 2024

 

Set 2

Kayanna Jones with her FIFTH kill of the match!

??: 15
??: 14

?? https://t.co/Jyu9HSL1W2 #ChicagosCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/MHwgdIT5QN

— UIC Volleyball ???? (@UIC_Volleyball) September 7, 2024

 

Set 3

Za' Niya Boyles fifth kill of the match keeps the flames ahead!

??: 5
??: 3

?? https://t.co/Jyu9HSL1W2#ChicagosCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/Czza4g2rGi

— UIC Volleyball ???? (@UIC_Volleyball) September 7, 2024

Set 3

That's number eight kill of reigning @MVCsports Player of the Week Zahria Woodard!

??: 11
??: 11

?? https://t.co/Jyu9HSLzLA#ChicagosCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/JMuj57hW5T

— UIC Volleyball ???? (@UIC_Volleyball) September 7, 2024

 

Set 4

Cleo Lorenzo now has a dozen kills in the match!

??: 16
??: 11

?? https://t.co/Jyu9HSL1W2#ChicagosCollegeTeam pic.twitter.com/p5C3aRdflM

— UIC Volleyball ???? (@UIC_Volleyball) September 7, 2024

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

• Woodard has now had double-digit kill performances in five out of the six matches so far in the 2024 season.
• Now with 26 kills this season, Jones has doubled her kills amount from her past two seasons combined (13).
•  Boyles collected her fourth double-digit kill performance in her collegiate career, and her second of the season. She tallied 11 kills in UIC's five-set victory over FGCU back on Aug. 31.
• Sophomore libero Hannah Howard (Toledo, Ohio/Eastern Michigan/Saint Ursula Academy) collected 15 digs against the Leathernecks, extending her streak of 10+ digs in match to five in a row. She averages 3.63 digs per set.

 
UP NEXT
 
The Flames return home to Chicago for their home opener at Credit Union 1 Arena this Thursday against Bowling Green (2-3, 0-0 MAC) at 6 p.m. (CT). Admission is free to the public. Live stats will be available for fans to follow along at UICFlames.com.
 
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