SPRINGFIELD, IL – The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) volleyball team took down Missouri S&T during Saturday's Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) matchup to complete the weekend sweep.
 
"We executed what we did in practice," UIS middle hitter Brianna Bush said. "We worked on game scenarios in practice throughout the week and that translated into how we performed."
 
UIS (15-8, 7-4) captured a 25-9, 25-20, 25-19 over Drury University (17-8, 6-6) on Friday. The Prairie Stars rounded out the weekend with a 25-14, 25-13, 25-16 over Missouri S&T (8-16, 1-10) on Saturday.
 
"We are definitely happy with the performances we put together," UIS coach Trey Salinas commented. "It was two very consistent matches and I think we've worked very hard on being as consistent as possible. It was nice to watch us play at that level."
 
"I think we played as a team," UIS middle blocker Alyssa Hasler added. "Everything seemed to be on, whether it was digging, passing, serve receive, serves, sets or hits. We seemed to be in sync and that helped us get the sweep."
 
The Prairie Stars recorded a .296 hitting percentage while the Miners finished with a .028 attack percentage.
 
Hasler led UIS with a .611 hitting percentage behind 12 kills and one error. The junior from South Bend, IN compiled the third-highest single-match hitting percentage in UIS Division II history. Hasler also smashed a solo block and five assists.
 
Tiffany Wentworth dished out 42 assists and scattered 14 digs. The junior setter from Omaha, NE moved into second among UIS Division II leaders with 1,572 career assists. Wentworth trails Lexi Hall by 225 assists.
 
Bush put together a .304 attack percentage behind 10 kills and three errors. Taylor Bauer recorded a .304 hitting percentage behind eight kills and one error. Alli Splitt finished with a .500 attack percentage behind seven kills and one error. Jailyn Borum contributed nine kills. Splitt provided four block assists, Borum and Bush tallied three block assists apiece and Wentworth produced two block assists. Splitt and Kenzie Hendon each delivered a service ace. Courtney Schutt tallied 16 digs, Hendon tallied 11 digs and Borum provided 10 digs.
 
"I'm hoping that this weekend will help us prepare for next weekend," Bush acknowledged. "I know we can accomplish what we want to and I'm looking forward to the last part of the season."
 
UIS began the week in seventh place in the conference standings and finished the week in a three-way tie for fourth. The top-8 teams qualify for the GLVC Tournament.
 
"The whole season we've been working towards the end of the season and what we need to do to make the conference tournament."
 
"Our goal is to make the conference tournament, but we also want to get a better seed," Hasler continued. "Beating these two teams definitely puts us higher. If we can win the rest of our conference matches, that will put us higher in the conference."
 
The Prairie Stars are scheduled for two matches next weekend. UIS takes on Robert Morris University-Springfield (1-19) on Friday at 7 p.m. in TRAC for Senior Night.
 
"We'll want to come out, play big and have a good night for our seniors," Salinas commented.
 
The Prairie Stars close out the weekend on Saturday when they face off with Maryville University (2-21, 1-10) in a GLVC matchup at 3 p.m. in St. Louis, MO.
 
"We don't take any match in this conference lightly, so we have a lot of preparation to do."
 
"We need to be prepared for two good matches against Robert Morris and Maryville," Hasler commented. "I think they can be tough opponents, so we need to come in like we did this weekend, have all cylinders firing and get wins to move higher in the conference."
 
PRAIRIE STAR NOTES
Hasler leads the conference in blocks per set (1.40) and ranks second in the GLVC in hitting percentage (.357). Wentworth ranks ninth in the conference in assists per set (7.51) and Hendon is tied for eighth in the GLVC in aces per set (0.10). Among UIS Division II single-season leaders, Hasler moved a second-place tie in block assists (101), a fifth-place tie in solo blocks (14) and into tenth place in points (292.5). Hendon is tied for seventh in single-season aces (21). Schutt ranks eighth in career digs (496) and Ally Vicsik ranks tenth in single-season digs (260).