MILWAUKEE, Wis. --The Green Bay volleyball team fell to the UIC Flames in five sets (19-25, 25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 7-15) in the Horizon League Quarterfinals in Milwaukee, Wis. Friday night.
The Phoenix offense was a balanced effort led by Alexandra Zakutney, who finished with 19 kills on the day. Shannon Coughlin added 16 and Tiffany Paalman chipped in with 10. GB had three players reach double figures in digs, including Iro Chounta's 18, 16 from Calli Gentry, and 15 more from Abby Gardner. From the front row, Rylee Boyd contributed 10 blocks and Chounta added six rejections.
No. 4 UIC will take on No. 1 Milwaukee in the Horizon League Semifinals tomorrow at 5 p.m. No. 2 Northern Kentucky will square off with No. 3 Wright State in the other semifinal at 8 p.m.
GAME NOTES
» Iro Chounta had a match-high three aces in the loss.
» Rylee Boyd had a team-high 10 blocks.
» Alexandra Zakutney had a team-high 19 kills for Green Bay.
» Green Bay got a team-high 18 digs from Iro Chounta.
» Green Bay attackers were helped by a team-high 44 assists from Calli Gentry.
» Both teams finished the match with 15 blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | The Phoenix found themselves in an early deficit, dropping a tough first set 25-19. Green Bay trailed by as many as six points as UIC grabbed the advantage for good at 13-12 in a set that was tied up five times before the Flames took control.
SET 2 | Green Bay responded to pick up a 25-22 victory in set two, evening the match at one set apiece. The Phoenix grabbed control of the set lead early on at 4-3 and never looked back. Green Bay led by as many as four points at 12-8 before finishing off the set. Green Bay's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five UIC attacks in the stanza.
SET 3 | Green Bay won again in set three to take a 2-1 match lead. The Phoenix took set three 25-20. GB took the lead for good at 18-17 in a set that showcased three lead changes before the Phoenix took over in the second half of the stanza. Green Bay's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking seven UIC attacks in the stanza.
SET 4 | Green Bay couldn't keep the win streak going, as the Flames forced a fifth set with a 25-21 fourth-set win. The Phoenix fell behind on the first point and never clawed back into the lead before losing the set.
SET 5 | Green Bay was never able to find their footing in the fifth set, falling down 8-3 early. The Phoenix brought it back to 10-7 after a Coughlin kill, but the Flames scored the sets final five points and took it 15-7.
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