Wright State upsets UIC, 3-2, in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Volleyball Championship.
Nov. 18, 2005
CHICAGO- Wright State University picked a great time for its first three-match League win streak of the season. The Raiders came back from two games down to upset No. 3 University of Illinois at Chicago Flames, 3-2, in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Championship on Friday.
All-Horizon League selection Sarah Poling tallied 22 kills for the Raiders, while All-Newcomer selection Lizzy Gunn recorded five kills and a match-high eight blocks. Setter Lindsey Frank earned a double-double of 48 assists and a match-high 21 digs.
Katarina Nedeljkovic notched 19 kills for the Flames, who fell to 4-6 in five-game matches this season. Maura McCarthy added 17 kills and 17 digs on the night for UIC.
UIC jumped out to an early lead on the Raiders, taking game one, 30-22, behind five kills from All-Horizon League selection Katarina Nedeljkovic. The UIC defense then took control, holding Wright State to a dismal 0.070 hitting percentage in game two to win 30-25.
The tide turned in game three, however, as the Raiders forced 11 UIC attack errors to win 30-23. Wright State used an offensive explosion in game four, hitting at a .447 clip (19-2-38) to claim a 30-23 win. The Raiders then held the Flames to a -0.083 hitting percentage in the deciding fifth game to earn a 15-9 victory and a date with the Cleveland State Vikings on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. CT.
With the loss, the Flames end the season at 12-18. UIC has not won a tournament match since a first round defeat of Cleveland State in 1999.
The 2005 Horizon League Volleyball Championship will be held Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 17-20, at the Flames Center on the campus of University of Illinois at Chicago. The match will air live on Comcast Sports Net Chicago, Comcast Indianapolis and the Ohio News Network. WMLW-Milwaukee will tape delay the broadcast until 5 p.m. ET. The winner of Sunday's championship match will earn the League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
