UIS Volleyball (7-20, 1-12 GLVC) fell to Maryville (15-13, 9-4 GLVC) 3-1 on Saturday at TRAC. The match served as Senior Day, celebrating Kaitlyn Taylor and practice player Jose Leguizamo, and was the final home match for fifth-year player Alexis Schwartz as well. The Prairie Stars won the opening set 25-22, highlighted by an 8-0 run from 16-21 to 24-21, before dropping the next three sets 25-20, 25-18, 25-10.

UIS erased a 21-16 deficit in the first set with an eight-point run, tying it on a Kendall Johnson-Maddie Mendelblatt block and moving ahead 22-21 on a Mendelblatt-Schwartz block. Khadijah Blue served seven straight points during the surge, and Johnson added four kills as UIS reached set point at 24-21. The Saints got one point back, but a service error closed the set for the Prairie Stars, 25-22.

Illinois Springfield could not overcome a mid-set Maryville separation, dropping the second set 25-20. The Prairie Stars made a late push from the service line, as Eva Huerta delivered back-to-back aces to make it 21-17 and Johnson added consecutive aces to bring Illinois Springfield within 23-20. Maryville scored the final two points to close the set.

Trailing 17-9 in the third set, the Stars cut the Maryville lead to 18-16, with Alyssa Gray, Madi Siefken and Mendelblatt recording kills during the push. Maryville answered from there, and the Prairie Stars dropped the set 25-18.

The Stars were in an early hole as the Saints scored the first five points and later moved ahead 15-4 in the fourth set. Gray and Blue each recorded kills for UIS, with Johnson and Mendelblatt also adding one, but Maryville (MO) finished the set 25-10.

Blue led Illinois Springfield with 13 kills while hitting .387 and added 10 digs. Gray recorded a team-high 21 digs and added nine kills. Mendelblatt finished with seven kills and a team-best five blocks. Huerta collected 18 digs and served two aces.

UIS finished the 2026 season 7-20 overall and 1-12 in the conference. Maryville is 15-13 overall and 9-4 in GLVC play heading into the conference tournament.