The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team will begin their 2024 campaign in Austin, Tex. at the Hilltopper Classic, hosted by St. Edwards University. The tournament is a two-day affair with each team playing four games. UIS faces off against Purdue Northwest and Arkansas Monticello on Friday with games against Newman and St. Edward's on Saturday. The full schedule with links to live stats, video, and tickets can be found here. 

UIS
The Prairie Stars enter the 2024 season with experienced returners and a flurry of newcomers. Two key returners will be Eirini Glynou and Erica Sledge as both were in many different top-10 categories in GLVC play a season ago. Glynou was the lone UIS All-Conference selection last season. UIS was picked to finish 10th in the GLVC after finishing the 2023 season with a 9-18 overall record and a 3-10 mark in conference play.

Purdue Northwest
The Pride are also looking to have a more successful 2024 season after a 2023 season in which they saw an overall record of 13-17 and an 8-10 record in conference play. Purdue Northwest was picked to finish eighth in the GLIAC in the preseason poll. The Pride return three All-Conference honorees from last season's team: Arra Cottrell, Anika Huelskamp, and Livia Thomsen. UIS is 2-0 against Purdue Northwest, winning 3-0 in both 2019 and 2021. 

Arkansas Monticello
UAM looks to vastly improve on their 2023 season in which they went 1-27. The Blossoms were picked to finish 12th in the GAC. Arlicia Ortiz enters her first year as the head coach after being announced on July 24. UIS played UAM for the first time in school history last year with the Prairie Stars taking a 3-0 win. 

Newman
Newman had a tough 2023 season, going 0-28. The Jets return a senior class of seven including All-MIAA honorable mention athlete, Ozioma Ajekwu. Newman is picked to finish 12th in the MIAA. Marisa Compton is entering her third season as head coach of the Jets. This will be the first-ever meeting of the programs.

St. Edwards
The Hilltoppers will be trying to build off a 2023 season in which they went 7-21 in. St. Edwards was chosen to finish 12th in a tough Lone Star Conference. Kelli Fording is the offensive player to watch, Cora Young is the defensive player to watch, and Althea Morris is the setter to watch. This will be the first time that the two schools have faced each other in history.