The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team took the No. 2 team in NCAA Division II down to the wire on Friday night at TRAC. The Prairie Stars could not pull off the upset though as Lewis survived by a 3-2 margin.
 
After dropping the first set by a 25-16 score, UIS came back and took the second set at 30-28. The Prairie Stars faced set point at 24-23, but scored three straight to grab the advantage. After nine straight sideouts, Kenzie Hendon finally gave UIS the set win.
 
Lewis came right back and won another set by a 25-16 margin. In the fourth, a 4-1 run gave UIS a 15-12 lead midway through the game. The Flyers cut that deficit to one six times, but could never tie the game. With UIS leading 22-21, Zanea Spencer and Megan Krasowski had back-to-back kills, and a Lewis attack error ended the set two points later.
 
The turning point of the deciding fifth set came on a 5-1 Lewis run that turned a 4-4 tie into a 9-5 Flyers lead. UIS got within 9-7, but a second 5-1 run put the match out of reach.
 
Lewis finished the match hitting .208, compared to .125 for UIS. The Flyers also had 26 more kills in the match. UIS's defensive effort included 88 digs and five team blocks.
 
Krasowski led the offense with 11 kills, 13 points, and a .294 attack percentage. Brianna Bush and Hendon both had 10 kills. Regan Trueblood had a team-high 25 assists. Defensively, Delainee Gibson led the team with three blocks, and Amanda McConnell had a team-best 30 digs. Hendon collected 20 digs, and Trueblood and Becca Blakeley were also in double-figures.
 
UIS moves to 1-3 on the season. The Prairie Stars will host the first weekend of GLVC pod play next Saturday with matches at TRAC against Missouri S&T and Truman.