CHICAGO -- Coming off a 3-1 victory in its first Horizon League match of the season, the UIC volleyball team continues its conference-opening roadtrip this Sunday as the Flames travel to Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday, Sept. 26. First serve is slated for 2 p.m. (CT) and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Last Time Out
• The Flames opened Horizon League play on the road, picking up a 3-1 win over IUPUI on Thursday.
• Sohila Wafeek dished out a career-high 38 assists in the victory, topping her previous career best of 31, set last season. Wafeek excelled at distributing the attack, as four different Flames had 10 or more kills.
• As a team, UIC dominated at the service line, picking up a season-high 12 aces.
• Paola Santiago collected a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs.

Delucchi Earns Player of the Week Honors
• Sophomore outside hitter Martina Delucchi was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Sept. 15. The award is the first for the Flames this season and first in the career of Delucchi.
• Delucchi was named to the All-Tournament Team of the UIC Invitational after leading the Flames to a 2-1 record and a three-way tie for the tournament title.
• Delucchi led the team in kills in all three matches, finishing with a team-high 49 kills. Her 49 kills over the three matches were more than twice as many as the next closest Flame. In UIC's 3-1 win over Chicago State, Delucchi finished with a career-high 21 kills, connecting at a .375 hitting percentage while recording 5.25 kills per set.
 • The sophomore added 17 kills against Eastern Michigan and 11 kills in UIC's sweep of Belmont. For the weekend, Delucchi recorded 4.45 kills per set while matching the team lead with five aces.

Looking Back
• Despite having its season pushed to the Spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last year's squad had one of the best seasons in program history. The Flames finished the season with a 14-3 overall record and a 13-1 mark in conference play while making an appearance in the Horizon League championship match for the first time since 2012. 
• UIC's .824 winning percentage was the best in the program's Division I history and second-best in program history, falling just shy of the .857 winning percentage (24-4) recorded by the 1972 squad that competed prior to the department's transition to Division I status in 1981.
• Additionally, the Flames finished second in the Horizon League with a 13-1 conference mark, tied for the program's highest regular season finish in the conference standings in program history.
• UIC's .929 winning percentage in conference games was the best in program history.

Swing Away
• As a team, the UIC offense ranks third in the Horizon League with 570 kills this season.
• Martina Delucchi is UIC's top offensive performer as her 3.57 kills per set are fourth-most in the conference.
• As a result of their high-performing offense, UIC ranks third in the conference with 11.95 assists per set this year.
• UIC has been averaging 38.2 attacks per set, second-most in the Horizon League.

Preseason Expectations
• Fresh off an appearance in the Horizon League championship match a year ago, the Flames were picked to finish second in the league in the #HLVB Preseason Poll, voted on by the League's coaches.
• The Flames received 98 points, including one first-place vote, to finish second behind Wright State (119 points – 9 first-place votes). 
• UIC was led by Horizon League Freshman of the Year Becca Oldendorf, All-League First Team member Paola Santiago and All-Freshmen selections, Martina Delucchi and Jaclyn Oblena, who all return to the lineup this season.

Fresh Faces
• UIC welcomes four new players to the roster this year in addition to a fifth player who will be making her Flames debut after a redshirt year.
• Head Coach Justin Ingram announced the addition of freshmen Kayanna Jones (Normal, Ill.), Jacquelyn Robinson (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Salma Abdelhady (Cairo, Egypt) in addition to sophomore transfer Grace Zambrano from Chicago State (Wheeling, Ill.).
• Liza Garrido, who joined the Flames this past spring but did not compete in any matches, returns for her redshirt freshman season.

Hi and Low
• The 2021 UIC volleyball team features one of the largest height discrepancies between its tallest and shortest player on the roster among all Division I athletic programs.
• Freshman Salma Abdelhady measures in at 6-foot-10, believed to be the tallest player in program history.
• Conversely, UIC features a pair of 5-foot-0 players in sophomore twins Abigail Sunga and Amelia Sunga.

International Flavor
• UIC once again features an internationally diverse lineup, with four different countries represented (including the United States) and five different players who reside outside the United States.
• The Flames have two players from Egypt in Salma Abdelhady and Sohila Wafeek and two from Argentina in Martina Delucchi and Liza Garrido, while Paola Santiago hails from Puerto Rico.
• The five international players join 12 US players who come from four states (Minnesota, Nevada, California, Illinois).
• Eight players call Illinois their home.