UIC Athletics

2016-17 Year in Review

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26 VOLLEYBALL UIC won 10 consecutive matches to open the 2016 season, which marked the best start in the program's Division I history. Previously, the best beginning to a season came in 1984 when the Flames claimed seven victories in what had been just the fourth year of Division I competition. UIC's 10-match winning streak, which stretched from August 26-September 13, matched the 1986 Flames for the longest in program history. The first nine matches of the season were spread across three nonconference tournaments in Missouri, Florida, and Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. The Flames won all nine of those contests to win tournament championships at the Redhawks Invitational (hosted by SEMO), JAX Classic (hosted by Jacksonville) and DePaul Invitational (hosted by DePaul). Senior Alyssa Ehrhardt was named the Most Valuable Player at both the Redhawks Invitational and DePaul Invitational, while graduate student Kelsie Groot was chosen as the top performer at the JAX Classic. INGRAM TABBED TO LEAD UIC Justin Ingram, a two-time Coach of the Year, was hired as the seventh head coach in program history in April. A 1995 graduate of Iowa State, he most recently served as the head coach of the Southern Illinois Salukis for five seasons. He helped SIU win at least 20 matches in four of his five seasons in Carbondale, culminating with an at-large NCAA Tournament bid in 2015, the first in program history. Ingram has also spent time as a head coach at Arkansas State and as a trusted assistant at both Kansas State and Houston. Kelsie Groot was named to the All-Horizon League Team at the conclusion of the regular season. The Irvine, Calif., native closed out the regular season leading the Horizon League in kills, averaging 3.82 per set. She totaled a team-high 447 total kills across all 30 of UIC's matches, while hitting at a clip of .231 (447k-140e-1330a), good for second-highest on the roster. Defensively, Groot registered 299 digs (2.56 per set), and also collected 61 total blocks. The outside hitter notched double-digits in both kills and digs on 19 separate occasions this year, the most on the team. Groot also made the national rankings this season, sitting 11th in total attacks (1330), while also ranking 24th in both total kills (447) and points (499.5).

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