DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
UIC
DePaul Drops Tough Match to UIC
9/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Sept. 2, 2011
CHICAGO - The DePaul volleyball team took cross-town foe Illinois-Chicago to the brink in its first four-set match of the season but the Blue Demons fell to the Flames 3-1. DePaul took the first set 25-23, but dropped the next three by margins of 25-22, 25-14, and 25-23.
Both teams began the first set with back-and-forth play before UIC (4-0) garnered a slight advantage. Down as much as 15-10 in the opening frame, DePaul (1-4) fought to pull the set level at 18-18 but a changed point and a pair of kills gave the Flames a 21-18 advantage. Rachel Aumann answered with a tricky kill and the Blue Demons took advantage of a couple of Flames errors to make it an even 21-21.
The Blue Demons fought to level the match yet again thanks to two well-read blocks that gave DePaul a 23-21 lead. After UIC rebounded for a point, a lengthy rally ensued as junior libero Kelsey Bowler offered up several highlight reel digs before a Sammy Geiger kill gave DePaul a 24-22 lead. The Flames would not go away as they added another point to pull within one but a thunderous kill by freshman Amy Lanski, who finished with five in the first frame, gave the Blue Demons the opening set by a 25-23 final.
In the second set, the Flames took an early 3-1 lead on DePaul but the Blue Demons brought it even again. The teams continued to trade points before a 9-9 score turned into a 15-9 UIC advantage as the host squad went on a 6-0 run. Aumann halted the Flames rally with a kill but the Flames managed to pull ahead again by six at 18-12, forcing a DePaul timeout. UIC continued its attack in the set and compiled a lead too large for the Blue Demons to overcome despite a furious effort by DePaul on match point. The Blue Demons would not go quietly, rattling off five straight points, but following a timeout, the Flames closed out the set, winning by a 25-22 margin.
The third set commenced with an early two points from DePaul. UIC brought it to 4-4, 5-5, and 6-6 before taking its first lead of the match at 7-6 thanks to an attack error by the Blue Demons. After a pair of untimely miscommunications, DePaul found itself again playing catch-up. Down 16-10, Aumann proved again to be the cog for DePaul as she halted what could have been a detrimental run by the Flames with a well-timed kill. DePaul couldn't garner a complete momentum swing, however, as the Blue Demons dropped down 21-12 and found themselves too deep in a hole. The Flames closed out the match with a 25-14 score.
The Blue Demons opened the fourth set on a mission, tallying four quick points. The Flames earned two points back but after DePaul went up 7-2 thanks to consistent attacking from Aumann and Lanski, UIC opted for a timeout. The Flames looked as though they took a page out of the DePaul handbook as the hosts mounted a substantial comeback to level the match at 8-all. UIC took the lead again but the two local squads battled to a 17-17 score. Allyson Rooks added some key defensive plays with the Blue Demons trailing to keep the victory within striking distance, but the Flames would not relent. Up 23-19, DePaul rebounded with two to make it 23-21. With match point looming, the Blue Demons picked up two points but a kill from the Flames spelled the end for DePaul with a 25-23 final set.
DePaul will travel back to UIC for a Saturday evening for a 5 p.m. matchup against Loyola who fell earlier in the day to Northwestern. Following tomorrow's contest, the Blue Demons will return to McGrath-Phillips Arena for their home opener against Montana State at noon on Sunday.
