The UIS volleyball team returns to TRAC for their final home matches of the 2024 season this weekend. On Friday night, the Prairie Stars will face McKendree University at 6 p.m., followed by a showdown against No. 18 University of Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday at 3 p.m. Friday's theme is Western Night, and Saturday's match will celebrate Senior Day, honoring the seniors for their leadership and dedication to the program. Additionally, the team will celebrate 35 years of UIS Volleyball with alumni in attendance.

Illinois Springfield (15-8, 5-4 GLVC)
UIS came off a challenging road trip last weekend. In a tight match at Rockhurst on Friday, the Prairie Stars battled but ultimately lost in straight sets, with Rockhurst taking control after set one. UIS fought back in the second set after trailing by six, but the Hawks closed out the match in the third. On Saturday against William Jewell, the Prairie Stars won 3-1, securing victories in the first two sets and bouncing back from a tough third-set loss. UIS dominated in the fourth set to win the match and improve to 15-8 overall.

McKendree (9-13, 4-5 GLVC)
McKendree comes into the weekend with a two-match win streak. Last weekend, the Bearcats beat Upper Iowa 3-1 at home for the first time in five years. After dropping the first set, the Bearcats rallied to win the next three in tightly contested battles. On Saturday, McKendree swept Truman State 3-0, with Destiny Gray leading the charge with 15 kills.

Date/Time/Location: Friday, November 8th, 6:00 p.m. - TRAC- Springfield IL
All-Time Series: MU leads 19-12 (MU leads 8-7 away against UIS)

• McKendree enters the weekend on a two-match win streak
• Destiny Gray leads the Bearcats with 293 kills, averaging 3.57 per set, ranking 10th in the GLVC
• Amber Williams has recorded 759 assists and ranks 6th in the GLVC, averaging 9.37 assists per set
• Colleen Preusser leads McKendree in both kills (223) and digs (294), with 31 service aces

Missouri-St. Louis (17-5, 6-3 GLVC)
UMSL enters the weekend ranked No. 18 in the nation after back-to-back wins over Truman State and Upper Iowa. The Tritons swept Truman 3-0 on Friday, then followed up with another 3-0 victory over Upper Iowa on Saturday, extending their home court win streak to 25 matches. The Tritons are led by Alayna Santel with 305 kills and Caitlin Bishop, who has 1,033 assists and leads the GLVC with an average of 12.30 per set.

Date/Time/Location: Saturday, November 9th, 3:00 p.m. - TRAC- Springfield IL
All-Time Series: UMSL leads 19-4 (UMSL leads 7-3 away against UIS)

• Alayna Santel leads the Tritons with 305 kills, averaging 3.63 per set, ranking 9th in the GLVC
• Caitlin Bishop has recorded 1,033 assists, averaging 12.30 per set, ranking 1st in the GLVC
• Skylar Weaver leads UMSL with 409 digs, averaging 4.87 per set, ranking 4th in the GLVC