Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team was unable to overcome a hot-hittng McKendree team as the Bearcats swept in straight sets, 3-0 (-15, -15, -20) on Tuesday evening.

UIS returns home on Saturday when William Jewell comes to town. The Prairie Stars host the Cardinals for a 5 p.m. match at TRAC.

Senior Haley Maxwell (Windsor, Ill.) and junior Nikki Madoch (Algonquin, Ill.) each registered eight kills on the evening. Junior Rachelle Wiegand (Redbud, Ill.) handed out 14 assists on the Praire Stars 29 kills for the match.

In the first set, McKendree grabbed an early lead before three straight aces tpush the Bearcats out to a 7-2 advantage. McKendree continued to add to their lead thanks to solid hitting in the opening set. The Bearcats had 16 kills and just two errors on their 28 attempts for the .500 percentage in building a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The second set was tied early before McKendree posted six straight points to race out to a 10-4 lead. The Prairie Stars dug in and came within three, 10-7, before the Bearcats regained control of the set, tallying six of the next seven points. The hosts maintained a large lead and posted their second double-figure victory to lead 2-0.

In the final set, UIS was not ready to go out without a fight. Illinois Springfield used a 6-2 run to rally within 16-14 before the teams traded points. A kill from the Bearcats started three straight points to give McKendree a 20-15 lead. The Prairie Stars once again got as close as three, 22-19, on a kill from Maxwell, a McKendree error and a kill from senior Shelby Geers (Urbana, Ill.), but it was not enough as the Bearcats went on to take the match in straight sets.

UIS hit above .300 in both the first and third sets, but struggled in the second as it only had six kills on 31 attempts with four miscues.

The Prairie Stars honor their four seniors on Saturday as Geers, Maxwell, Taylor Jokisch and JoAnna Hoffman prepare for some of their final collegiate matches.