The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team continued play at the challenging Tampa Classic on Saturday. The Prairie Stars dropped a pair of matches against two teams that were either nationally-ranked or receiving votes in the national poll.
 
In the first contest of the day, UIS fell to No. 17 Northwest Missouri by scores of 25-16, 26-24, and 25-21. The Prairie Stars had their chances to win at least one set, especially in the second one.  UIS led by as much as five at 18-13, but an 8-2 run helped the Bearcats take the lead. UIS tied the game at 23 and 24, before Northwest Missouri recorded two straight kills.
 
Northwest Missouri hit .315 for the match and had 46 kills, compared to a .185 hitting mark for the Prairie Stars to go along with 31 kills. UIS did have four more blocks in the match.
 
Angela Denney led the Prairie Stars with nine kills and 15 digs. Hannah Nicolaisen also tied for the team-high with nine kills, and she hit .353 for the match. Brianna Bush collected six blocks, and Amanda McConnell had 14 digs. Regan Trueblood led the team with 13 assists.
 
In the second match against Augustana, both teams were close in all four sets, but UIS was on the wrong side in three of them in a 25-23, 20-25, 25-22, and 25-23 setback.
 
Augustana finished the match with a .266 hitting percentage, compared to .150 for UIS, and it had a 64-47 advantage in kills. UIS did not allow a service ace in the match, the first time it has done that in the last 25 matches.
 
Nicolaisen had team-highs of 10 kills, five blocks, and 13.5 points. Denney had nine kills, nine digs, and two service aces. Among the specialist, McConnell had 18 digs, and Becca Blakeley recorded 22 assists.
 
UIS returns home next week for the Capital Classic on Friday and Saturday at TRAC. Due to the tournament setup and COVID regulations, fans will not be allowed at that event.