Volleyball splits matches at invitational

Stephenee Yancy was named to the All-Tournament team at the IPFW Invitational after putting down 22 kills Saturday. — Photo: Steve Woltmann

The volleyball team (1-2) beat Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne, 3-1, Saturday before falling to Central Michigan during the final day of competition at the IPFW Invitational in Fort Wayne.

Stephenee Yancy and Nicole Johnson were selected for the All-Tournament team.

In the early match, the Flames prevailed in four sets to take a 3-1 (25-23, 26-28, 25-21, 25-23) win against IPFW (1-1). Yancy put down a team-high 22 kills followed by Alyssa Ehrhardt with 15. Johnson had 49 assists and 13 digs.

The Flames and Central Michigan in the nightcap battled back and forth for most of the first set. UIC led 24-19 but CMU scored eight of the final nine points to win, 27-25. The Flames committed nine errors in the match, which featured 10 ties and five lead changes.

In the second set, UIC jumped out to an early lead and cruised to a 25-21 win behind seven kills by Yancy. She collected 21 kills in the match, her second straight 20-plus kill performance and ninth of her career.

The Flames committed 11 errors in a loss in the third match before rebounding in the fourth set for a 25-22 victory. In the final set UIC fell, 15-11, despite posting six kills on 18 attempts.

Ehrhardt recorded 14 kills and 16 digs in the match. Casey Harris added seven kills on 15 attempts and Johnson paced the Flames with 46 assists.