The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team will have its final three home matches in a five-day span starting on Friday. The Prairie Stars take on Drury in that first match, before facing Southwest Baptist on Saturday and Lewis on Tuesday.
 
UIS enters play this week with an 8-13 overall record, and a 4-6 GLVC mark. The Prairie Stars are 11^th in the GLVC, including fourth in the East Division. Last week, UIS had just one conference match, as it fell to Southern Indiana by a 3-2 score in TRAC.
 
The Prairie Stars will celebrate Senior Day on Saturday with five players being recognized as they conclude their UIS playing careers after this season. Those student-athletes are Brianna Bush, Ryleigh Warfel, Hannah Nicolaisen, Megan Krasowski, and Becca Blakeley.
 
Bush and Krasowski are both in their fifth seasons at UIS, and those two and Blakeley were a part of the 2018 GLVC Regular Season Championship team. Nicolaisen and Warfel joined the team as transfers in 2019 and 2020, respectively, and have given the team's offense a boost in those seasons.
 
UIS's serving has been hot lately. The Prairie Stars have recorded 26 service aces over the last four matches, a 1.61 average per set. UIS has committed only 22 service errors as well. Blakeley leads the team in that span with six service aces, and Angela Denney has at least one in every match.

Each individual GLVC school will determine their own attendance policy for volleyball. Please check the policies of the home teams if interested in attending a contest. (UIS) 

UIS vs. Drury
Date/Time/Location: Friday, October 29, 7:00 p.m. – Springfield, Ill.
Streaming: https://www.glvcsn.com/uis
Live Stats: https://uisprairiestars.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
All-Time Series: Drury leads 13-2 (Drury leads 5-2 in Springfield, Ill.)
 
Drury enters play this week with a 16-8 overall record, and a 6-5 conference mark. The Panthers have won five straight, and has a win over nationally-ranked Lewis earlier this month.
 
The Panthers are one of the top defensive teams in the GLVC, holding opponents to just .160 hitting. They rank fourth in the league in blocks, and eighth in digs. Offensively, they are hitting just over .200 for the year.
 
Drury's defense is led by Makina Wratten, who is averaging over a block a set. Juliana Squire is also among GLVC stat leaders with 3.69 digs a set. Taylor Forth and Wratten are both averaging just under three points a set, and Forth is in the GLVC top-ten with a .338 hitting percentage.
 
Drury has won three straight in the series with UIS, including a 3-0 sweep last season in Springfield, Mo.

UIS vs. Southwest Baptist
Date/Time/Location: Saturday, October 30, 3:00 p.m. – Springfield, Ill.
Streaming: https://www.glvcsn.com/uis
Live Stats: https://uisprairiestars.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
All-Time Series: UIS leads 3-0 (First meeting in Springfield)
 
Southwest Baptist will play in Springfield, Ill. for the first time on Saturday afternoon. The Bearcats are currently 10-13 overall and 5-7 in GLVC play. Southwest Baptist was swept twice last weekend in GLVC play against Quincy and Missouri-St. Louis.
 
Southwest Baptist ranks seventh in the GLVC in both hitting percentage (.204) and opponent hitting percentage (.184). The Bearcats are also one of the top serving teams with a 1.61 aces average.
 
Ashley Lasher leads the offense with 2.92 kills a set. Loran Pritchell is seventh in the conference with 0.35 service aces a set. The defensive leaders include Aleena Peterson with 282 digs and Rachel Francis with 57 blocks.
 
UIS has won all three meetings against Southwest Baptist, including a pair of 3-0 sweeps since the Bearcats joined the league in 2019.

UIS vs. Lewis
Date/Time/Location: Tuesday, November 2, 7:00 p.m. – Springfield, Ill.
Streaming: https://www.glvcsn.com/uis
Live Stats: https://uisprairiestars.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
All-Time Series: Lewis leads 17-0 (Lewis leads 7-0 in Springfield)
 
Lewis, which is 21^st in this week's national rankings, sports a 16-6 overall record this season, and a 10-1 GLVC mark. The team has won two straight, including a 3-1 victory over Indianapolis last Saturday.
 
Lewis is the conference team leader in hitting percentage (.245), opponent hitting percentage (.148), assists (13.57), and kills (14.65).
 
Setter Lauren Stenman leads the conference with 10.88 assists a set. Jamie Poppen also leads in a category with 6.17 digs a set.
 
Earlier this season, UIS had one of its closest matches against Lewis, but fell on the road by scores of 18-25, 25-21, 22-25, 25-12, and 15-12. Denney led the Prairie Stars with 15 kills, and she also had 23 digs. Other team leaders included Blakeley with 46 assists, Amanda McConnell with 26 digs, and Nicolaisen with six blocks.
 
Up Next
UIS will be on the road for five straight to end the regular season. That stretch starts Friday, Nov. 5, at Lindenwood.