CHICAGO — Playing before a packed house at the Flames Athletic Center, including more than 20 of the program's alums spanning five decades, the UIC volleyball team delivered one of its best performances of the season, going to extra points in the last three sets before defeating Drake, 3-1 (25-20, 28-26, 24-26, 27-25) in the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season finale for both schools on Saturday night. The Flames rang up a season-high 17 blocks in the win, tying the seventh-highest single-match total in program history and most in two seasons.
With that victory, coupled with other results around the Valley, UIC (11-17) will be the No. 6 seed for next week's MVC Tournament, with the Flames traveling to third-seeded Bradley for a conference quarterfinal at 6 p.m. (CT) Thursday live on ESPN+. The winner will head to No. 2 seed Belmont for a semifinal on Saturday, Nov. 21 (5 p.m. CT on ESPN+) before the MVC title match takes place Nov. 24 (time TBD on ESPN+) at the highest-remaining seed.
In her final home contest, senior outside hitter Gabi Peter delivered with a match-high 16 kills, while freshman middle blocker Robyn Ward nearly had her first career double-double, finishing with 10 kills (one off her career high) and a career best-tying eight blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Ana Petrides had eight blocks of her own, to go along with eight kills, while sophomore outside hitter Sasha Pellettieri had eight kills and a career-high seven blocks.
Set one was a back-and-forth affair through the technical timeout before UIC used a 5-0 run late to create some distance and ultimately draw first blood in the match. The Flames rode that momentum into the early stages of the second set, racing out to a 16-9 lead, but Drake (15-13) responded to get within 18-16. The Bulldogs chipped closer and after fighting off two set points, scored three in a row and wound up having two set points of their own. That's when the Flames reeled off three straight points, two coming off Ward kills, to grab a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set had the wildest momentum swings of the evening, with UIC surging to a 12-7 lead, only to have Drake score five of the next six. The Flames then notched three in a row, before the Bulldogs answered with a 5-0 run to take the lead. That didn't last long as UIC put together a 7-0 spurt and was on the brink of a sweep after Ward and Pellettieri's tandem block made it 24-18. However, Drake fashioned an 8-0 run to end the set and keep its flickering hopes alive.
In the fourth set, neither side led by more than three points in a stanza that would ultimately feature 15 ties and eight lead changes. Until the closing stages, neither team scored more than three consecutive points before a 4-0 Drake run had the visitors on the doorstep of taking the match the distance. Trailing 24-22, UIC would mount one more impressive rally, fighting off two set points and closing out the victory with a 5-1 match-ending run that included a pair of kills from Peter and a block and a kill from Pellettieri.Â
The full box score and play-by-play recap from Saturday's match at Bradley can be found here.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- UIC posts its second regular-season sweep of Drake since joining the MVC in 2022, having done likewise in 2023.
- The Flames even their all-time series with Drake at 10-10 and have won four of the past five meetings with the Bulldogs.
- UIC's 17 blocks were a season high (previous was 16 at Valparaiso on Sept. 30) and tied for the seventh-most blocks in a match in program history.
- This was the Flames' highest block total since Oct. 11, 2024, when they also had 17 blocks in a four-set home win over Missouri State.
- Ward posted double-digit kills for the fourth time in her rookie season (her career high of 11 kills came on two occasions - Oct. 10 vs. Murray State and Oct. 23 vs. Indiana State, both at home).
- Ward's eight blocks tied her career high first set on Sept. 30 at Valparaiso.
- Pellettieri's career-high seven blocks were one more than her previous high, also set in the Sept. 30 Valpo match.
- Saturday's win was UIC's first regular-season triumph back in its former home, the Flames Athletic Center, since Nov. 12, 2022 (a 3-0 victory over Bradley).
FOLLOW THE FLAMES
For more information on UIC volleyball, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_Volleyball and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uicvolleyball and @uicflames).
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