SPRINGFIELD, IL --- The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team opened up the new season with a pair of sweeps in the Capital Classic, beating both Ohio Valley and Concord University in straight sets. The Prairie Stars open the season 2-0 for the first time since 2014 and just the third time since 2010. UIS was led by Erin Ripple, who totaled 19 kills on the day while Alyssa Hasler totaled 17 kills and nine digs.

GAME ONE: ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD 3, OHIO VALLEY 0
In the season opener, UIS came out firing, attacking at a .481 clip in the first set. The Prairie Stars totaled 15 kills in each of the three sets, attacking at a mark of at least .333 in all three sets, never committing more than five errors.

UIS scored the first seven points of the season and then pushed that lead to 12-2. Five straight points later in the match gave the Prairie Stars a 17-3 advantage, in which they cruised to a 25-9 win in the first set of the year.

The Prairie Stars would go on to win 25-20 and 25-13 in the final two sets to take their first match of the year.

"We really came out ready to play, especially the first game, said Hasler. "We were just excited for these to be the first games of the season, on our court, and started with a bang."

GAME TWO: ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD 3, CONCORD 0
Much like the first match, UIS jumped out to an early lead, getting up 8-3 in the first set on Concord. A 5-0 run pushed the lead to 14-5, assisted by kills from Tiffany Wentworth and Brianna Bush.

UIS built up a ten-point lead before trading points over the final half of the set to take it 25-15.

The Prairie Stars used a couple three and four point runs in the second set to once again take it from Concord. UIS ended the set with four straight points, ending on a kill from Taylor Bauer, which was the theme of the game.

Bauer had a team-high 12 kills in the second match and always seemed to come up with a big kill when needed. The newcomer had just one error on 22 attacks for a .500 attack percentage.

Hasler added dominance in the middle, collecting 10 kills on 19 attacks while also recording nine digs and two blocks.

As a team, UIS attacked at a .308 clip for the game and .340 mark for the two games combined. Lexi Hall totaled 41 assists on the day while Wentworth added 32. Jailyn Borum totaled a team-high 24 digs while Ally Vicsik added 16 and Kenzie Hendon 15.

Hendon had this to say about her first collegiate match, "It felt amazing, I was really excited but it was the most nervous I'd ever been playing volleyball, but having the support of all the girls made it so much easier and so much more fun. "We've definitely been working hard so it's an amazing start for us to sweep them both."

Trey Salinas, beginning his third year at the helm, talked about his teams performance, "It was a great performance from everybody all around, they all did a phenomenal job finding a rhythm. Overall it was a great performance to open the season."

PRAIRIE STAR NOTES: UIS opens the season 2-0 for just the third time in the Division II era … Tiffany Wentworth now has 988 career assists … Lexi Hall now has 1,535 total assists, 12 shy of the UIS Division II record, held by Rebeka Pruemer (2011-12) …