The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team won both of its matches on Saturday at the Midwest Regional Crossover in Hammond, Ind. The Prairie Stars swept both Kentucky Wesleyan and Purdue Northwest, and finished the event with a 2-1 record. 
 
UIS opened up the day with a 25-21, 25-18, and 25-22 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan. The Prairie Stars hit .245, but their defense was the difference. UIS blocked 12 shots, compared to one for Kentucky Wesleyan, and held the Panthers to just .068 hitting. 
 
Hannah Nicolaisen led the team with seven blocks, and Megan Krasowski and Angela Denny both had four.  Denney and Amanda McConnell led the team in digs with seven apiece. 
 
Offensively, Ryleigh Warfel had 11 kills in just 18 attempts, and she had a .444 hitting percentage. Denney finished with nine kills and had just one hitting error. Becca Blakeley had 29 assists, and Warfel had half of the team's six service aces. 
 
UIS ended the Crossover with a 25-19, 25-20, and 25-23 win over Purdue Northwest. UIS's offense hit nearly .300 in the match, as the Prairie Stars finished with 47 kills, 11 more than Purdue Northwest.
 
The duo of Denney and Warfel combined for 30 of the team's 47 kills. Both hit over .333 for the match as they had just six errors in 62 attempts. Blakeley had a team-high 32 assists, Krasowski had 12 digs and four blocks, and Nicolaisen also had four blocks. 
 
UIS is now 8-12 on the season. The Prairie Stars begin the second half of their conference schedule on Friday at home against Southern Indiana.