The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team continues its four-match home stand this week with matches on Friday and Saturday at TRAC. The Prairie Stars will face Quincy in their Homecoming contest on Friday, followed by Maryville coming to town the next day. UIS will also have a midweek encounter after that at nationally-ranked Lewis.
 
The first part of the home stand was a huge success with UIS securing division wins over both Indianapolis and McKendree. In both matches, the Prairie Stars dropped the first set, but quickly bounced back to win the next three.
 
UIS averaged nearly 17 points a set in those two matches as its offense continued its improved play as of late. Ryleigh Warfel played a big role in that with 33 kills combined in the two matches. She had 18 and 15 kills, respectively, two of the top three totals this season for a match.
 
Defensively, the Prairie Stars held both opponents last week under .165 hitting. Amanda McConnell had 45 digs on the week, and is now ranked third in the GLVC with 4.67 digs a set. As a team, UIS also had 21 blocks over the week.
  
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 | Lewis) 

UIS vs. Quincy
Date/Time/Location: Friday, October 1, 7:00 p.m. – Springfield, Ill.
Streaming: https://glvcsn.com/uis
Live Stats: https://www.uisprairiestars.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
All-Time Series (Through 2007): Quincy leads 10-7 (Series tied 4-4 in Springfield)
 
Quincy also enters play this week on a two-game winning streak. The Hawks defeated William Jewell and Missouri S&T by 3-0 sweeps last week. With the victories, Quincy is now 5-7 overall and 2-2 in GLVC play.
 
The Hawks are ranked sixth in the league in both hitting percentage, with a .211 mark, and opponent hitting percentage, with a .179 mark. Their defense is led by its back row as they average nearly 16 digs a set.
 
Setter Makayla Knoblauch leads the conference with 10.24 assists a set. Many of her passes go to Emily Rehagen and Mattie Norris, both who rank in the top-10 in the league in kills. America Galvan ranks fourth in the league defensively with 4.31 digs a set.
 
Last season, Quincy swept the Prairie Stars by a 3-0 score in Quincy. Prior to that, UIS had won the last four meetings between the two school. 
 
UIS vs. Maryville
Date/Time/Location: Saturday, October 2, 3:00 p.m. – Springfield, Ill.
Streaming: https://glvcsn.com/uis
Live Stats: https://www.uisprairiestars.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
All-Time Series (since 2007): UIS leads 13-3 (UIS leads 8-0 in Springfield)
 
Maryville is in search of its first GLVC victory of the year this week as it is currently 4-6 overall and 0-3 in GLVC action. The Saints, who play at Lewis on Friday night, have lost GLVC matches to Southern Indiana, Southwest Baptist, and Rockhurst.
 
Maryville is the top serving team in the conference. The Saints have 74 service aces on the season, which ranks 51^st in NCAA Division II. Three players are in the top-10 in the league in aces per set with Taylor Hasbrook, Abbie Schnell, and A.J. Hallemann all averaging at least 0.38 service aces a set.
 
Offensively, Maryville is hitting .183 for the season, and Rachel Hurt has a team-high 78 kills. Its opponents are hitting .205, including Hasbrook having 116 digs and Grace Knadler collecting 20 blocks.
 
UIS has won seven straight matches over Maryville, and it has only dropped one set in that span. Last season, UIS swept Maryville in three sets in Springfield, Ill.

UIS vs. Lewis
Date/Time/Location: Tuesday, October 5, 7:00 p.m. – Romeoville, Ill.
Streaming: https://glvcsn.com/lewis
Live Stats: https://www.lewisflyers.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
All-Time Series (since 2007): Lewis leads 16-0 (Lewis leads 7-0 in Romeoville, Ill.)
 
Lewis is currently 10-3 overall and 5-0 in GLVC play, and it is ranked 14^th in the latest NCAA Division II poll. The Flyers will face Maryville and Lindenwood over the weekend, before going against the Prairie Stars.
 
Lewis ranks in the top-10 in the nation with 14.40 kills and 13.33 assists a set. It also leads the GLVC in hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage.
 
Individually, Jamie Poppen is tenth in the nation with 5.88 digs a set. Ava Venema is third in the GLVC with 3.55 kills a set, and is fifth with a .377 hitting percentage.
 
UIS is searching for its first win in the series history with Lewis. The Flyers have won 16 straight meetings since 2007. Last season, the Prairie Stars took the Flyers to five sets in Springfield, and Lewis won in straight sets in Romeoville.
 
Up Next
UIS will stay on the road after the Lewis match, taking on Missouri S&T and William Jewell that following weekend.