Volleyball Takes Winning Streak on the Road

Belmont (7-11, 3-2 MVC) vs. UIC (11-6, 3-2 MVC) 

Friday, Oct. 7 | 6 p.m. 

Flames Athletic Center | Chicago, Illinois 

ESPN3 | Live Stats | Match Notes 
 

Belmont vs. Valparaiso (15-2, 3-2 MVC) 

Saturday, Oct. 8 | 5 p.m. 

ESPN3 | Live Stats 

ARC Arena | Valparaiso, Indiana 

CHICAGO, Ill. -- The Belmont University volleyball team carries their longest conference winning streak since 2018 on the road this weekend, heading north for Missouri Valley Conference contests in Illinois and Indiana. 

Winners of three straight MVC matches, Belmont will face University of Illinois Chicago on Friday night in Chicago, Illinois, at the Flames Athletic Center at 6 p.m., before taking on Valparaiso on Saturday evening in Valparaiso, Indiana, at ARC Arena at 5 p.m. 

Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN3. Live stats for both contests will be available on BelmontBruins.com, and in-game updates will be posted to Twitter by @BelmontVB. 

What's Bruin 

• After taking down Murray State last Tuesday at Racer Arena for the first time since 2015, Belmont carried positive momentum into last weekend's home contests at the Curb Event Center, defeating Evansville in a five-set thriller on Friday before sweeping Indiana State on Saturday 

• At 3-2, Belmont is one of five teams in the Missouri Valley Conference with a winning conference record through the first two weeks of the conference slate 

• The Bruins have won nine of their last 11 sets, dating back to the second frame against Murray State on Tuesday, September 27 

• Belmont has won five of their last seven contests after starting the year 2-9 

• Belmont's three-match conference winning streak is the longest since they won three in a row in the Ohio Valley Conference in October 2018 

• Kristen Clemons is the reigning MVC Player of the Week after collecting 44 kills on .395 hitting to help Belmont to a 3-0 week. It marked the first conference Player of the Week award for Belmont since Arianna Person was the OVC Player of the Week on November 13, 2017. 

• Clemons tallied 17 kills on .500 hitting in a sweep of Indiana State on Saturday, her birthday, one shy of her career-high 

• The junior from Louisville, Ky., is seventh in the MVC in hitting percentage (.327) and tenth in kills (185) 

• Brooke Gilleland has at least nine kills in each of her last nine matches, averaging 2.86 kills per set on a .251 hitting clip 

• Laura Shoopman ranks 15th in the country in total kills (255) and is second in the Missouri Valley Conference 

• Belmont is second in the Valley in service aces (109), with Ally Peterson fourth individually (21) and Laura Shoopman seventh (20) 

• Since becoming Belmont's primary setter on September 9 against Middle Tennessee, sophomore Peyton O'Brien has eclipsed 40 assists on six occasions, and dished out a career-high 50 assists on September 24 against Southern Illinois 

• O'Brien nearly had a triple-double on Friday against Evansville, finishing with 43 assists, 17 digs, and nine kills in the thrilling five-set win 

• Rachel McBride ranks sixth in the Valley in total digs (251) 

• Clean volleyball has been the name of the game for Belmont in conference play, as they rank second in the Valley in hitting percentage through five MVC matches (.261) 

About the Flames 

• UIC is one of three newcomers to the Missouri Valley Conference, joining this summer along with Belmont and Murray State 

• The Flames were picked third in the MVC preseason poll, receiving three first-place votes 

• UIC is currently ranked No. 64 in RPI, the second-highest team in the Valley 

• UIC took down receiving-votes Miami on September 9 in four sets 

• After dropping their first two MVC matches to Drake and Northern Iowa, UIC has won three in a row over Valpo, Bradley, and Illinois State 

• The Flames crushed then-13-1 Valpo in three sets on September 26, defeating the Beacons 25-12, 25-16, 25-14 

• UIC leads the Valley in hitting percentage (.246) and kills (14.02 per set) and is second in blocks (2.18 per set) 

• Martina Delucchi is one of the top players in the conference, ranking third in points (276) 

• Belmont and UIC have met twice, with the series tied 1-1 

• The Flames and Bruins met last year at the Flames Athletic Center for the UIC Invitational on Sept. 10, with UIC sweeping the match, 25-12, 25-22, 25-18. Laura Shoopman finished with ten kills 

About the Beacons 

• Valparaiso got off to a school-record 12-0 start to the season, and currently has the best overall record in the Valley at 15-2 

• The Beacons are ranked No. 63 in RPI, the top mark in the MVC 

• Valpo lost in five sets to Northern Iowa in the conference opener before rebounding with a victory over Drake. The Beacons dropped their second contest of the year to UIC in straight sets but have won each of their last two contests, triumphs over Illinois State and Bradley 

• The Beacons rank fourth in the country in kills (912) and third in digs (1,156) 

• Emma Hickey, the reigning MVC Freshman of the Week, ranks first among freshmen in the country in digs per set, and is 13th overall (5.26 per set) 

• Belmont and Valparaiso have met just once, in 2005, with Valpo winning in four sets in a neutral-site game in Chicago 

Follow Belmont volleyball on social media - @BelmontVB on Twitter and @belmontvball on Instagram - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.                         

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