The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team will continue their 2024 campaign at the PSU Regional Challenge in Pittsburg, Kansas this weekend. UIS plays one match a day on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The Prairie Stars open the tournament against Emporia State on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. UIS takes on the host, Pittsburg State, on Friday at 7:00 p.m., then closes out the tournament against Harding on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. 

UIS (7-1)

The Prairie Stars continued their strong start to the season at the Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational, finishing with a 3-1 record. UIS encountered their first setback of the season in Friday's opening match, falling to MSU-Mankato in straight sets (17-25, 22-25, 23-25). The Stars bounced back later on Friday with a straight-set victory over the hosts (25-21, 25-19, 25-21). On Saturday, UIS won both matches, first defeating West Alabama in another sweep, marking their sixth straight-set victory of the season (25-8, 25-10, 25-16). They then secured a thrilling five-set comeback win against Thomas More after trailing 2-0 (20-25, 11-25, 25-11, 25-21, 15-7).

Newcomer Makenna Cox leads the Prairie Stars with 120 kills, while Eirini Glynou has contributed 89 kills. Erica Sledge tops the team with 259 assists. Glynou also leads in digs with 81, followed by Cox and freshman Anna Laincz, each with 76. Kendall Johnson leads in blocks with 19, with Carly Michels close behind with 18.

Emporia State (6-1)

The Hornets have also started the season well, with their only loss coming in the first match of the season. At the Tiger Classic in Hays, Kansas last weekend, ESU finished with a perfect 3-0 weekend. ESU took on fellow GLVC member Truman State in their lone action on Friday, coming away with a win in five sets in a back-and-forth affair (25-16, 18-25, 25-23, 19-25, 15-8). Both games on Saturday ended in straight-set wins for Emporia State, coming against UC-Colorado Springs (25-16, 27-25, 25-23) and Northwestern Oklahoma (25-17, 25-16, 25-18). ESU's attack is led by Rayishon Jackman, who has 108 kills, and Weronika Wrzesinska, with 78 kills. Brailee Bogle leads the team with 270 assists. Wrzesinska, Jackman, and Bogle are the top three on the team in digs, with 82, 81, and 73, respectively. Mia Frisbie leads the Hornets with 23 blocks, followed by Wrzesinska with 19 and McKenya Sorrells with 18.

Pittsburg State (4-4)

The Pittsburg State Gorillas faced a challenging weekend at the Denton Volleyfest in Texas, where they lost three of four matches. Their tournament began on Thursday night, with the Gorillas relinquishing a 2-0 lead and ultimately falling in five sets (25-20, 26-24, 20-25, 24-26, 11-15). On Friday, PSU split their two matches: they secured a straight-set victory against Midwestern State (25-23, 25-22, 25-19) but were swept by Colorado Christian in the evening match (23-25, 16-25, 19-25). The Gorillas concluded their Texas trip with another loss to the host team, Texas Woman's, resulting in a 4-4 record for the season (23-25, 22-25, 25-17, 21-25).

PSU's offense features four players with 40 or more kills this season, led by Vix Vilott with 83. The team has two primary setters: Jesa Wallace with 137 assists and Rylee Martin with 127 assists. Defensively, Josie McCroskey leads in digs with 133, while Ivy Fink follows closely with 112. Anna Dean and Carly Clennan each have a team-high 25 blocks for the season.

Harding (4-4)

The Bisons have successfully split their two tournaments this season, with the most recent being the Alabama-Huntsville Tournament. Their tournament began positively with a straight-set victory over Tusculum on Thursday (25-20, 25-21, 25-14). On Friday, they won against Emmanuel in four sets (25-13, 19-25, 25-16, 25-20) but suffered a close five-set loss to the hosts, Alabama-Huntsville (25-23, 25-19, 23-25, 23-25, 13-15). The Bisons concluded the tournament on Saturday with a sweep at the hands of No. 18 Ferris State (13-25, 28-30, 22-25).

Four Bisons have accumulated over 60 kills this season, with Skyler McKinnon leading with 108. Sophomore setter Olivia Wiedower has tallied 299 assists. Defensively, Tatum Fouche leads the team with 142 digs, followed by Wiedower with 72. Ashley Lamkin has recorded 30 blocks, and two other Bisons have also achieved 15 or more blocks this season.

The full tournament schedule, along with links to the live stream, live stats, and participating teams, can be found on Pittsburg State's website.