Volleyball faces tough competition at home

Sara Sternard led the Flames against Wright State. Photo: Steve Woltmann

The volleyball team defeated Wright State, 3-0, Friday but dropped its match against Oakland, 3-0, Saturday at the Flames Athletic Center.

In Friday’s win, Junior Sara Sternard led the Flames (7-15, 2-5 Horizon League) with 15 kills.

Sternard  put down six kills in both the first and third sets, including the final point of the match. She also added two of UIC’s service aces.

Senior MaryKate Imrie delivered an all-around solid effort with 33 assists, eight digs, two kills and two block assists. Imrie, who owns 3,324 career assists, handed out 12 assists in both the second and third sets.

Senior Justine Garcia recorded her 11th consecutive double-digit dig performance with a match-high 16 digs. She added two service aces to boost her team-leading season total to 26.

Junior Molly McCoy came off the bench Saturday to put down a team-high seven kills on 16 attempts. McCoy missed four matches due to injury and has 14 kills on 34 attempts in two contests since her return.

Sternard put down six kills on 17 attempts and collected three total blocks. She leads the squad with 13 solo blocks and 61 total blocks this season.

UIC begins the second half of Horizon League play Saturday at Valparaiso. The Crusaders defeated Oakland and Wright State over the weekend to improve to 18-4 overall and 6-1 in the Horizon League.