UIC’s response to losing the third set was the most important stretch of its October 9 match against Evansville. The Flames had won the first two sets convincingly, but the Purple Aces kept the match alive and were level at sixteen in the fourth. UIC then won seven consecutive points, turning a precarious finish into the run that secured a 3–1 victory.
The Flames won 25–16, 25–14, 23–25 and 25–18 at Credit Union 1 Arena. The result moved UIC to 6–11 overall and 2–3 in the Missouri Valley Conference at the conclusion of the match. Evansville finished the evening 4–14 and 1–5 in the league.
Gabi Peter led UIC with twelve kills while hitting .407. Maryam Hussein recorded eleven kills and seven blocks, and Emma Colombari contributed nine kills and eleven digs. The Flames had enough production to establish control early, then enough defensive and serving contributions to regain it when the match tightened.
A clean attack builds the early advantage
UIC committed no attack errors in the opening set, finishing with fourteen kills in twenty-six attempts for a .538 hitting percentage. That is a precise explanation for the nine-point set margin. The Flames were converting attacking chances without wasting the same possessions through errors.
The team followed with fourteen more kills and three attack errors in the second set. Its .393 percentage in that frame was lower than the exceptional opening figure, but still productive enough to separate the teams. The two sets gave UIC a substantial advantage without requiring an extended finish in either one.
Serving contributed to that early control. Lianna Ortiz produced consecutive service aces during the first set, while Colombari’s service pressure helped the Flames create separation. When a team can score directly from the service line and finish efficiently after the opponent returns the ball, it has more than one route to move ahead.
Evansville keeps the match alive
The third set changed the balance. UIC recorded eighteen kills but also made seven attack errors, and Evansville took the set 25–23. The Flames were still capable of generating offense. They were no longer gaining enough net advantage from that production to finish the match in three.
That distinction matters when evaluating a lost set. A high kill total alone does not settle whether an attack was effective. Errors and the opponent’s production determine how much those kills actually move the score. UIC’s third set demonstrated why the clean execution of the first two frames could not simply be assumed to continue.
Evansville’s win created a fourth set in which momentum was available to both teams. The Purple Aces had evidence that they could hold off UIC at the end of a close frame. The Flames needed to prevent that result from becoming the beginning of a larger comeback.
Seven points make the difference
At 16–16 in the fourth set, UIC began the scoring run that changed the match. Colombari served during the stretch, and the Flames advanced to a 23–16 lead. Peter eventually supplied the final kill to complete the 25–18 set and the four-set victory.
The result was not a second attempt to overwhelm Evansville with the same attacking numbers as the opening set. UIC finished the fourth with ten kills and four errors. Evansville made eleven attack errors in that set. The Flames’ advantage came from remaining functional through the closing stage while the opponent’s attempts to answer repeatedly failed to produce enough points.
Hussein’s seven blocks were part of a wider net presence. Peter contributed five blocks, Robyn Ward three and Tamara Kisic two. Those individual block involvements should not be added together as a team block total, because two players can share the same block. They do show how several Flames participated in denying Evansville clean attacking finishes.
The supporting numbers explain the win
UIC finished with 56 kills and fourteen attack errors in 135 attempts, hitting .311 for the match. Paulina Ströh had 26 assists, and Mihaela Harizanova added 22. Ava Young led the defense with twenty digs, while Kisic had thirteen. Colombari’s eleven digs gave the team another defensive contributor alongside her attacking and serving work.
The numbers provide a useful picture of a win that required more than one phase. Peter and Hussein supplied important attacking output. The setters organized the scoring chances. The defensive players extended rallies, and the block helped reduce what Evansville could produce as the match continued.
UIC completed the evening with a needed conference victory and a reminder that strong starts still require a finish. The third set prevented the result from becoming a routine sweep. The decisive fourth-set run showed that the Flames could answer that interruption with something more useful than simply hoping their early advantage would hold.
The victory gives UIC a result built on both an excellent opening and a decisive recovery. The Flames did not let Evansville’s third-set win carry through the fourth. Once the match reached sixteen-all, they found the sustained run necessary to end it on their own terms.
