Blue Demons Set to Host Chicago Cup

CHICAGO - DePaul is set to host city rivals UIC, Loyola and Northwestern in the Chicago Cup for the last weekend of non-conference play. The Blue Demons will compete against UIC Friday at 7 p.m., Loyola Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and Northwestern at 8 p.m. Saturday to cap off the tournament.

FROM ZIDEK
"We are thrilled to be hosting the Chicago Cup this year," said head coach Marie Zidek. "Our seniors have had this weekend circled on their calendars since we scheduled it and I know the team is ready to give their best efforts. All of us are in similar situations in regards to pushing our programs to new heights, so everybody is entering this tournament hungry.

"One of the most exciting aspects of this weekend is that each opponent plays a very different style of volleyball and each contest will be unique in preparing us for BIG EAST play that starts on Wednesday as we host Xavier. UIC has two talented setters that put their attackers in a position to score on almost every play. Loyola is very similar to us in that they have hitters who can hit multiple tempos and can threaten you with offense that is varied and balanced. Northwestern has a couple of pin attackers that are very offensive, including the Big Ten reigning Freshman of the Week Temi Thomas-Ailara. We will have to absorb a very heavy load this match in addition to managing one of the top servers in the country.

"Our squad is going to be challenged this weekend by different systems and different talents, and we look forward to using this weekend as another growth opportunity especially as it pertains to our dig to transition game. We continue to push our offense forward to a more balanced contribution from multiple players on the roster and we rely quite a bit on our ball control to create opportunities for our attackers. We hope to see the city of Chicago out in support of this great tournament."

SERIES AGAINST UIC
The Flames hold a 24-18 advantage in the series against DePaul. The Blue Demons are on a single-match losing streak against UIC, with the last contest between the two being in 2018.

SCOUTING THE FLAMES
UIC is currently 9-2 on the season after taking down all four opponents in the Idaho Volleyball Classic to start off the season. The squad then fell to NDSU to start off the Chippewa Invitational, but defeated its other two opponents. The Flames also went 2-1 in their own tournament last weekend before topping Chicago State in a lone match.

SERIES AGAINST LOYOLA
Loyola leads the series against the Blue Demons 27-12. The teams last met in 2018, where the Blue Demons fell for a single-match losing streak in the series.

SCOUTING THE RAMBLERS
The Ramblers are 5-5 on the season after going 1-2 in the Blue and Gold Tournament to start off the season. Loyola then dropped a lone contest against Stephen F. Austin before going 2-1 in the Rambler Challenge and in the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic.

SERIES AGAINST NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern has won all ten contests against the Blue Demons, with the last being in 2018.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Northwestern is 7-2 on the season after topping all three opponents in the Miami Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational. The 'Cats then went 2-1 in the NU Under Armour Challenge, with their first loss coming from Stephen F. Austin. The team then headed to the Blue Devil Classic where it fell to Georgia and topped Duke and American.

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DePaul University Athletics

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