ST. LOUIS, MO - After a competitive first set, the University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team ran out of steam against Maryville, falling to the Saints 3-0 Friday evening.

The Basics
The Result: Maryville 3-0 (27-25, 25-11, 25-17)
Records: UIS (5-20, 2-10 GLVC), Maryville (11-14, 3-9 GLVC)
Location: St. Louis, Mo. - Maryville Fitness Center

UIS Top Performers

• Senior Nikki Madoch (Algonquin, Ill.): recorded a team-high eight kills and a .227 hitting percentage.
• Sophomore Lexi Hall (Champaign, Ill.): served up a team-high 14 assists and collected nine digs
• Junior Ashley Beaton (Wildwood, Mo.): finished with seven kills and a .227 hitting percentage
• Senior Heather Smack (St. Louis, Mo.): finished with six kills on 14 attempts. She also added a block solo and a block assist.

How It Happened

• The Prairie Stars opened the match on fire, converting their first four attacks and scoring nine straight points to open up a 10-1 lead.
• UIS pushed its lead to 10, 15-5, after a kill by junior Nora Palermo (West Chicago, Ill.)., With the score at 16-7 in favor of the visiting Prairie Stars, Maryville came roaring back with a 13-4 run to tie the game, 20-20. The teams traded point and the Prairie Stars used a 3-0 run to take back the lead, 25-24, after an error by the Saints.
• A kill and a service ace by the Saints gave the hosts back the lead. A UIS error gave Maryville the first set, 27-25.
• The second set belonged to the Saints from the beginning. Maryville was perfect on the attack, picking up a pair of service aces and 10 kills in 10 attempts to take a 12-4 lead. Another 4-0 run later in the set gave the hosts a 22-7 lead as they cruised to a second set win, 25-11.
• Back-to-back kills and a service ace from Nikki Madoch gave UIS an early 3-1 lead. Four straight points from the Saints gave the hosts a 5-3 lead. The Prairie Stars hung around and trailed by only three, 10-7, after a kill by freshman Emma Burkle (Crystal Lake, Ill.). 
• Maryville slowly extended its lead, eventually extending its advantage to eight, 18-10. The Prairie Stars got back within five, 22-17, after a kill by Heather Smack, but the Saints scored the final three points to take the match.

Coming Up Next

• The Prairie Stars stay in the St. Louis area to take on Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday at 3 p.m.