Nov. 9, 1999

CHICAGO - With its two seniors playing critical roles in their final home game, the University of Illinois at Chicago swept Western Illinois 15-13, 15-11, 15-6, earlier this evening at the UIC Pavilion.

Senior’s Hilarie Hernandez (Mattoon, Ill./Mattoon) and Kelly Colangelo (Chicago, Ill./Reavis) led the way for the Flames, who with the win guaranteed themselves of their first above .500 finish since 1993.

Hernandez recorded her first double-double of the season, finishing the night with 11 kills and a team-high 14 digs. Colangelo had a strong all-around game with nine kills, nine digs, four service aces and three blocks.

In the second game of the match, Jackie Utz (Chicago, Ill./Queen of Peace) reached a significant milestone when she became the ninth UIC player in school history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau. The junior, who leads the Flames in kills on the season, posted a game-high 12 kills in the match and also recorded a dozen digs.

With the win, the Flames improved to 16-13 on the season. The 16 victories are the most recorded by a UIC squad since 1993, when they went 19-13. Don August’s squad is back in action on Saturday, Nov. 13, when they travel across town to meet Loyola at 4:00 p.m.