CHICAGO, Ill. -- The University of Chicago women's volleyball team will hit the road this weekend to take on three Top 25 ranked opponents at the UW-Oshkosh Tournament. To start their time in Wisconsin, the (RV) Maroons will face No.8 Hope on Friday night at 4:30 pm. Chicago is coming off a hard fought win against Illinois Tech and looks to use that momentum over the Flying Dutch.  *UChicago enters the weekend with a 3-3 record on the season after finishing the Rosalie Resch Invitational with a 1-2 weekend with a win over Illinois Tech and losses to Lawrence and #20 UW-Eau Claire.
*The Maroons recorded a reverse sweep in the five-set win over Earlham after dropping the first two sets. The reverse sweep was the first for a UChicago team since their win over Texas Lutheran in the NCAA Tournament in 2022.
*The Maroons played a pair of top-25 opponents in their first four games of the season for the first time in program history.
*This weekend will be the first time since 2023 that UChicago has played three top-8 teams in three consecutive matches. The Maroons lost to #7 Calvin (1-3), #3 UW-Oshkosh (2-3), and #2 Hope (2-3) in those three games.
*Ellie Maxwell recorded double-doubles in three of the first four games of her college career, and she is averaging 18.3 assists and 9.0 digs per match this season.
*Maxwell also recorded 6 service aces in the five-set win over Earlham. Her 6 service aces are the most by a UChicago player since Maya Patel in 2021.
*Thalita Marangon recorded 31 digs in the five-set win over Earlham. She became the first Maroon to record 30+ digs in a match since Kennedy Cheung against Case Western in 2023.
*Olivia Zamis tallied 7 blocks in her collegiate debut in the 3-1 win over Greenville. She is the first Maroon with 7+ blocks in a match since Jillian Amsler in 2023.
*After taking on #8 Hope on Friday, the Maroons will return to the court to take on #5 La Verne and the hosts, #3 UW-Oshkosh. 

#8 HOPE NOTES: 

* Hope enters the weekend 4-1 and at #8 in the latest AVCA poll, dropping five spots from their previous ranking. 
* The Flying Dutch were 2-0 before Denison beat them in a tough five set battle at the NCAC/MIAA crossover. They responded with dominant wins over Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg the next day. 
* Hope's offense is lead by sophomore Olivia Wyma. The 6'4 middle blocker is averaging 3.21 points per set with already 47 kills on the year, hitting over 57% in her last three games. Defensively, shes got 22 blocks on the year as well. 
*Setter Lauren Lee has been the pacer for the Flying Dutch offense. A three time AVCA All- American, the senior already has 174 assists to her name just this season. Averaging 9.16 assists a set, Lee will for sure be one to watch. 
* Following Friday's match with the Maroons, Hope will take on #3 UW- Oshkosh on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. 

SERIES HISTORY:

* This will be the 11th all time meeting between the Maroons and the Flying Dutch.
* With a 3-8 record against Hope, Chicago looks to break the three game win streak on Friday night. 
* In their last matchup in October of 2024, the Maroons took the Flying Dutch to five sets, barely losing the last 9-15. 

CAREER STATS RECORDS:

* Hillary Cheung - 13th in Assists (765)
* Diya Mishra - 3rd in Assisted Blocks (245), 9th in Total Blocks (294), and 10th in Hitting Percentage (.261)

NCAA DIVISION III ACTIVE LEADERS:

* Diya Mishra - 8th in Blocks (298), 15th in Blocks/Set (0.86), and 26th in Kills (923)