CHICAGO – The Missouri Valley Conference announced its annual volleyball scholar-athlete team Tuesday morning. Among the 48 names announced, five members of the UIC volleyball program were recognized for their work in the classroom.

Cleo Lorenzo | Senior | Outside Hitter


The Belo Horizonte native closed her UIC career with 247 kills, 230 digs and 21 aces across 26 matches this season. She recorded eight kill–dig double-doubles and averaged a career-best 2.68 kills per set. She notched 12 double-digit kill performances, including a career-high 21 in a five-set match at Northern Iowa on Nov. 7. She will graduate this winter with a bachelor's degree in nutrition and a 3.66 GPA.
Francesca Venturini | Senior | Setter


For the third straight season, Venturini earned academic honors after closing her UIC career with 573 assists, averaging 5.62 per set. She led the Flames with 28 service aces and ranked 10th in the MVC in aces per set (0.27). Venturini finished her career with 2,282 assists, just 183 shy of the program's top 10. She will graduate with a bachelor's degree in statistics after maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

Gabi Peter | Junior | Outside Hitter


Peter earned her first MVC academic honor this season, finishing her junior year with 151 kills and 46 total blocks. She ranked fifth on the team in kills, averaging 1.86 per set. She recorded two double-digit kill performances across 81 sets, including a season-high 13 in a win over Loyola on Sept. 20. Peter maintains a 3.55 GPA while pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics.

Hannah Ditsworth | Redshirt-Sophomore | Middle Blocker


Ditsworth caught fire late in the season and became a defensive anchor at the net for UIC. She posted a conference-leading 115 total blocks, averaging 1.49 per set, a mark that ranked 12th in NCAA Division I. On Nov. 8, she set a program record with 14 blocks in a five-set win over Drake. Ditsworth has maintained a 3.68 GPA while studying biological sciences.

Mihaela Harizanova | Redshirt-Sophomore | Setter

In her second full season, Harizanova led the team with 634 assists and 5.93 assists per set. She recorded double-digit assists in all but one of her 28 matches and posted a career-high 49 assists in a win over Toledo on Sept. 7. She also tied for second on the team with 24 service aces, averaging 0.22 per set. Harizanova has maintained a 3.8 GPA while pursuing a bachelor's degree in computer science.

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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