July 15, 2008

Chicago, Ill.- UIC head volleyball coach Nancy Mueller unveiled the UIC volleyball team's 2008 schedule on Tuesday, July 15, with 2007 national champion Penn State and three other NCAA Tournament teams on the docket this fall.

Mueller said that this year's slate was packed with intense competition in order to ready the Flames for their Horizon League schedule.

"We wanted to create a non-conference schedule that would prepare us for the Horizon League season," said Mueller. "In order to reach that level of play, we scheduled high-quality teams that would expose us to fierce competition."

UIC opens the season with a pair of tournaments. The Flames begin the campaign at the Chicagoland Classic at Loyola over Labor Day weekend, tackling a field that includes local rivals Northwestern, DePaul and Loyola.

The following weekend features a trip to Fargo, North Dakota to participate in the Doublewood Inn Classic from Sept. 5-6. The Flames will face host North Dakota State, Northern Colorado and UTEP.

A tough three-match stretch against the Nittany Lions, Louisville and Illinois State awaits UIC at the Chicago Classic from Sept. 12-13, taking place at one of the city's premier prep programs, Mother McAuley.

This tournament holds a special meaning to a particular member of the UIC program as assistant coach Katie Schumacher Cawley was an All-American at Penn State and a decorated high school volleyball player for Mother McAuley.

"I think that it is a great challenge for our players to be able to play against teams that we wouldn't normally face unless it was the postseason," said Mueller. "It is a great opportunity for us to be exposed to the national playing field and not restricted to just regional play. It is going to be a great opportunity to see how our team competes against the nation's best."

Additionally, the Flames will host interspersed non-league contests against Bradley, Quinnipiac, Chicago State and SIU-Edwardsville in the months of October and November.

"If we play well against our non-conference opponents, then it will give us the confidence that we need to be successful," said Mueller. "The RPI of the teams we have scheduled will give us a good outlook on where we are when the conference season begins."

UIC opens Horizon League play at home on Sept. 26 against crosstown rival Loyola at the Flames Athletic Center.

After four league road games in October, UIC wraps up the regular season with five straight home contests before heading to Cleveland, Ohio for the 2008 Horizon League Tournament.

"I think the parity in the Horizon League is unbelievable this season," said Mueller. "There are three or four teams that can win it all, so it is going to be a tough challenge for us. The league as a whole has gotten better, so we need to enter each match prepared."

Although the team's goal is to win the Horizon League title and earn a berth to the NCAA Tournament, Mueller wants the squad to focus on short-term objectives to achieve its greater purpose.

"Our focus this season is to look at one match at a time and set shorter goals for ourselves so we can reach the ultimate goal," said Mueller.

UIC returns eight starters and nine letterwinners this season. Two-time All-Horizon league hitter Katarina Nedeljkovic is back on the court for her senior year after sitting out last season due to a shoulder injury.

Nedeljkovic ranks eighth in the UIC career record book with 1,165 kills and 10th in service aces with 146 through three seasons.

The Flames also return versatile sophomore Casie Sullivan. Despite an injury that sidelined her early in the season, Sullivan returned to the floor in late October and stepped right in for injured setter Dana Van Syckle to accumulate 422 assists.

Despite battling a slew of injury issues in 2007, UIC finished the season 15-15.