Publish Date


The UIS volleyball team is ready to return to TRAC for just their second home weekend of the season, with matches set for Friday and Saturday. The Prairie Stars will take on Drury on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. and Southwest Baptist on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Friday's theme is Domestic Violence Awareness, urging fans to wear purple in support and to bring a donated item, such as cleaning supplies or non-perishables, for the Sojourn House for free admission. Saturday's match will feature the annual #WeAreStars game and will also embrace a Halloween theme, with costumes encouraged.

Illinois Springfield (13-6, 3-2 GLVC)

The Prairie Stars participated in the Midwest Regional Crossover last weekend, finishing with a strong 2-1 record against regional opponents. On Friday morning, UIS faced Ohio Dominican in a match that showcased their resilience. After a tense first set that ODU edged out (24-26), the Prairie Stars regrouped and took control, winning the next three sets (25-22, 25-19, 25-23) for a convincing victory.

In the afternoon, UIS battled Purdue Northwest, finding themselves down two sets to none. The third set was particularly intense, but a key kill from Carly Michels tied the game, and Eirini Glynou scored the final two points to clinch the set. The Prairie Stars surged in sets four and five, completing an impressive reverse sweep against the Pride (19-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-19, 15-9).

On Saturday, UIS went up against Cedarville in a closely contested match that went the distance. Both teams exchanged leads throughout all five sets, and while UIS held a narrow advantage in the fifth, Cedarville rallied with a five-point run to seize the lead, ultimately winning the match (25-23, 22-25, 19-25, 25-23, 13-15).

For her outstanding performances over the weekend, Makenna Cox was recognized on the Midwest Region Crossover All-Tournament Team, accumulating an impressive 65 kills and 52 digs across 14 sets.

  • Makenna Cox leads the Prairie Stars with 314 kills, averaging 4.24 per set, which ranks her eighth in Division II

  • Eirini Glynou has 260 kills, averaging 3.51 per set

  • Erica Sledge has recorded 702 assists, averaging 9.49 per set

  • Five Stars have recorded 20+ service aces on the season

  • Cox leads the team with 262 digs, while Glynou has 222

  • Laincz also checks in with 210 digs, while Sledge has recorded 184 of her own

  • Kendall Johnson and Carly Michels both have registered 57 blocks this season

 

Drury (11-8, 2-4 GLVC)

The Panthers also had a stellar performance at the Midwest Regional Crossover last weekend, finishing with a perfect 3-0 record and dropping only one set. In their lone game on Friday, Drury showcased their dominance against Thomas More, sweeping the match in impressive fashion with set scores of 25-14, 25-12, and 25-14.

On Saturday, Drury faced Ohio Dominican and Davenport. Against ODU, the Panthers initially encountered a challenge in the first two sets, splitting them. However, Drury surged ahead in sets three and four, securing another victory with scores of 27-25, 20-25, 25-15, and 25-14.

Later in the day, Drury squared off against Davenport in a closely contested matchup. The battle of the DU Panthers was fiercely fought, but Drury emerged victorious, sweeping the match with set scores of 25-22, 25-23, and 25-19.

Date/Time/Location: Friday, October 25, 6:00 p.m. - Springfield, Ill. | TRAC

All-Time Series: DU leads 14-4 (DU leads 5-4 in Springfield, Ill.)

Streaming (PPV)

Live Stats

  • Drury enters the weekend on a five-match win streak

  • Mailie Chretien leads the Panthers with 199 kills, averaging 2.58 per set

  • Kyla Clubb and Kayli Duncan are close behind with 173 kills and 166 kills respectively

  • Lauren Tyler has recorded 700 assists, averaging 9.09 per set

  • Tyler and Chretien lead the team in service aces with 28 and 26

  • Kim Quinit leads the team with 321 digs, while Chretien is right behind with 306

  • Duncan has recorded 92 blocks this season, good enough for fifteenth in Division II

 

Southwest Baptist (11-12, 1-5 GLVC)

SBU was another GLVC team that finished with a perfect record at the Midwest Regional Crossover. On Friday morning the Bearcats took on Roosevelt. SBU jumped out to a lead in every set and never looked back, earning a sweep (25-15, 25-19, 26-24). On Friday afternoon SBU faced off against Kentucky Wesleyan. Set one went the way of KWU after a wild finish. Southwest Baptist responded in dominant fashion, winning sets two, three, and four by a large margin (24-26, 25-15, 25-14, 25-18). Saturday morning the Bearcats finished the crossover with another sweep, this time against Malone. Set one ended with a huge SBU win, while sets two and three were much closer. The Bearcats ended the weekend going a perfect 3-0 with the win against Malone (25-9, 25-23, 25-19). 

Date/Time/Location: Saturday, October 26, 3:00 p.m. - Springfield, Ill. | TRAC

All-Time Series: UIS leads 5-1 (UIS leads 2-0 in Springfield, Ill.)

Streaming (PPV)

Live Stats

  • Ella Rademaker leads the Bearcats with 349 kills, averaging 3.79 per set, which ranks her fourth in Division II

  • Hannah Jackson is second on the team with 252 kills

  • Katie Pogue has recorded 559 assists, averaging 6.58 per set

  • Logan Drennan also has 241 assists on the season

  • Janel Pido leads the team in service aces with 39

  • Kynzie Lilly leads the team with 382 digs, putting her twentieth in all of Division II for digs

  • Pogue and Mya Leach also have registered 231 and 209 digs this season

  • Rory Stanley has recorded 81 blocks this season, while Chandler Lawrence is close behind with 77 blocks