The UIS volleyball team heads into its last weekend on the road before the GLVC Tournament. The Prairie Stars will face the Indianapolis on Friday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m. ET in Indianapolis, followed by a Saturday afternoon match against Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., at 3 p.m. CT.
Illinois Springfield (17-8, 7-4 GLVC)
The Prairie Stars had a strong showing at home last weekend. They began with a hard-fought match against McKendree University on Friday night. Both teams battled intensely, trading points early before UIS pulled ahead with a six-point lead at 18-12, eventually capturing the first set 27-25. The next two sets were just as competitive. UIS held an early lead in the second set, but McKendree rallied to tie at 16. The Stars responded, and with two decisive kills from senior Eirini Glynou, UIS claimed set two. In the third set, UIS built an early 10-4 lead, ultimately completing a clean sweep against McKendree—defeating the Bearcats for the first time in two years. Freshman Kendall Johnson led UIS with 13 kills, followed by Makenna Cox with 11 and Glynou with nine.
On Saturday afternoon, UIS faced No. 18 UMSL in a highly anticipated matchup. The game held extra significance as it was also UIS Senior Day. The teams battled for control in the opening set, with UIS eventually pulling ahead by seven. UMSL tied the set at 26, but a Tritons' service error and attack error handed UIS the first set, 28-26. The second set remained tightly contested, ending in a 25-21 win for the Tritons. In the third set, UMSL held a steady lead and reached set point at 24-21, but UIS rallied with four consecutive points to secure a thrilling 27-25 victory. The Prairie Stars then took control in the fourth set, with crucial kills by Cox and Glynou, sealing the match and defeating UMSL for the first time since 2018. This victory clinched UIS a spot in the GLVC Tournament.
Indianapolis (17-9, 7-4 GLVC)
Indianapolis spent the weekend on the road, facing Truman State on Friday and Upper Iowa on Saturday. On Friday, the Greyhounds rallied from a 1-2 set deficit against the Bulldogs to claim victory in five sets. Saturday's matchup was at home, where they swept the Peacocks in three sets. UIndy posted an impressive team hitting percentage of .345 and played strong defensively, holding Upper Iowa under 20 points in each set.
Date/Time/Location: Friday, November 15th, 5:00 p.m. CT (6:00 p.m. ET) - Ruth Lilly Fitness Center
All-Time Series: UI leads 13-3 (UI leads 7-1 at Home against UIS)
- Sophia Parlanti ranks No. 6 in the GLVC in kills and leads the Greyhounds with 340 kills, averaging 3.33 per set
- Kelsey McKenney is No. 5 in the conference for blocks, tallying 9 solo blocks and 83 block assists, with an average of 1.01 blocks per set
- Claire Morris has recorded 1,039 assists, averaging 10.60 per set, placing her at No. 3 in the GLVC for assists
- Ellie Spang leads the team defensively with 449 digs, averaging 4.68 per set
Lewis (18-9, 9-2 GLVC)
The Flyers had their last weekend away from home with games against upper Iowa Peacocks and the on Saturday night they went up against Truman State Bulldogs. In their first match up with upper Iowa, the Flyers almost had a clean sweep but they dropped set 3 to the Peacocks but concluded with a 3-1 win in Iowa. Then on Saturday afternoon they faced off with Truman state. The bulldogs have been taking most teams this season to 5 sets but Lewis was able to win in a clean sweep keeping Truman to under 20 each set.
Date/Time/Location: Saturday, November 16th, 3:00 p.m. - Neil Carey Arena
All-Time Series: Lewis leads 19-1 (LU leads 8-0 at Home against UIS)
- Bella Ray leads the Flyers with 307 kills, averaging 3.04 per set
- Ray is also No. 2 in the GLVC for blocks, with 32 solo blocks and 103 block assists, averaging 1.34 blocks per set
- Lily King has tallied 546 assists, averaging 5.52 per set
- Ally Hickey tops both the team and the conference in digs, recording 543 with an average of 5.97 per set