SPRINGFIELD, IL --- The Illinois Springfield volleyball team will complete a three-game road swing as they travel to take on Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents William Jewell and (RV) Rockhurst University this coming weekend. The Prairie Stars are coming off a 2-1 week, picking up a pair of five-set wins over Quincy University and Missouri Baptist after falling to #3 Lewis University.

SETTING THE SCENE
The Prairie Stars enter the weekend with an overall record of 7-4 and 1-1 mark in GLVC play. After one weekend of conference play, the Prairie Stars sit in the middle of the five-team central division as Missouri-St. Louis swept their matches and Quincy dropped both of their decisions.

UIS comes into the weekend winners of two straight after dropping their previous three matches --- two of which came against ranked opponents.

William Jewell (4-7, 1-1) also comes in having won their last two matches, beating Wisconsin-Parkside in five-sets before beating non-conference opponent Southwest Baptist in straight sets. Earlier in the week, the Cardinals lost to Rockhurst in straight sets.

The Hawks (9-3, 1-1) enter the weekend as one of two teams in the GLVC recognized in the national rankings, though they fell out of the top-25. Currently ranked 26^th, the Hawks come in winners of their last two matches, beating Kentucky State and Lindenwood in straight sets. Through 12 matches, Rockhurst has yet to go further than three sets, sweeping their opponent in each of their nine wins and getting swept three times. Each of the Hawks' three losses have come to ranked opponents: #3 Lewis, #5 Nebraska-Kearney, #17 Tarleton State.

PRAIRIE STARS, ATTACK
With each team in the conference playing at least nine matches, the Prairie Stars sit fourth in the league in attack percentage (.227), led by Alyssa Hasler (.347), who currently sits fifth in the GLVC. Freshman, Kenzie Hendon, is tied atop the league with 16 total aces. Brianna Bush is second on the team with 11 while Ally Vicsik has added 10 to UIS' total of 57 on the season, which is sixth best in the league.

Hasler currently leads the way with 109 total kills, but five other Prairie Stars have at least 60 kills through 11 matches, and outside of Hasler, are all either freshman or sophomores.

BLOCK IT OFF
Alyssa Hasler --- already the UIS Division II all-time lead in blocks --- currently leads the GLVC in blocks with 52. This mark puts her 16^th in the country. As a team, UIS ranks fourth in the GLVC in total blocks (57), putting them 57^th in the nation out of 289 total teams.

ALL-TIME RESULTS
UIS is 3-5 all-time against William Jewell, but has won three of the last four meetings. Only three of the eight matches have ended in three sets, yet none of them have ever gone to five. The Prairie Stars are just 1-3 on the road against the Cardinals, last winning on the road in 2013.

UIS is 0-9 all-time against the Hawks, taking the match past three sets just one time back in 2011. UIS is 0-4 on the road against Rockhurst.

COMING UP NEXT
The Prairie Stars will return home following a three-game road swing to take on Bellarmine and Southern Indiana on September 29^th and 30^th. These matches will fall on Homecoming Weekend for UIS with the Friday match vs. Bellarmine beginning at 7:00 PM and Saturday's match with Southern Indiana beginning at 3:00 PM.

HOW TO WATCH
Live stats vs. William Jewell
GLVCSN vs. William Jewell
Live Stats vs. Rockhurst
GLVCSN vs. Rockhurst