SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Prairie Stars' four-match winning streak was snapped Saturday evening as the Drury Panthers defeated the University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team in straight sets, 25-20, 25-16, 25-18, at the O'Reilly Family Event Center.

Sophomores Becca Stoczynski (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) and Nora Palermo (West Chicago, Ill.) led the Prairie Stars on the attack with eight and nine kills, respectively. Both players finished with a hitting percentage above .500. Senior Shelby Geers' (Urbana, Ill.) recorded only four kills, ending her seven-game streak of 10-plus kills.

UIS jumped out to an early lead in the first set after back-to-back kills from Stoczynski gave the team a 3-0 lead. The Prairie Stars continued to hold the advantage, extending their lead to four, 10-6, after a Drury error. 

The set began to turn in the host's favor as the Panthers went on a 6-2 run to tie the game at 12. With the score even at 15, Drury scored consecutive points to take a 17-15 lead, which they held onto to take the first set, 25-20.

With the momentum in their favor, the Panthers took the lead in the second game, scoring five of the first six points. UIS cut the deficit to three, 5-2, 7-4 and 11-8, but struggled to keep pace with the hosts despite hitting a match-best .333 in the second set. With the score at 15-11 in the host's favor, Drury went on a 4-0 run to put the set out or reach as it took the second game 25-16.

The third set was decided by a series of runs as the teams traded points in the early going. Back-to-back errors from Drury's Laynie Timmons gave the Prairie Stars a 5-4 lead before the Panthers responded with a 6-0 run to open up a five-point lead. UIS didn't go down without a fight, however, pulling within three, 13-10, with a 3-0 run capped off by consecutive kills from Stoczynski. The Drury lead was at four, 19-15, until the hosts went on another run to make the score 24-15. Another 3-0 run from UIS brought the Prairie Stars within six, but Drury held on to take the set, 25-18, and the match.

The Prairie Stars are back in action tomorrow to take on Missouri S&T at 1 p.m.