The UIS volleyball team split a weekend at home last week, defeating William Jewell before falling to Rockhurst. The Prairie Stars now enter a midseason break from GLVC play as they head to Hammond, Ind., for the Midwest Regional Crossover. The tournament features 11 GLIAC teams, 13 G-MAC teams, and 14 GLVC programs competing over two days.

UIS Schedule – Midwest Regional Crossover
Friday, Oct. 17 – 11:30 a.m. | Court 7 – vs. Lake Superior State
Saturday, Oct. 18 – 9:00 a.m. | Court 2 – vs. Tiffin
Saturday, Oct. 18 – 2:00 p.m. | Court 8 – vs. Kentucky Wesleyan

All games are Central Time at the Hammond Sportsplex & Community Center.

Illinois Springfield (7-9, 1-5 GLVC)
UIS snapped a streak of losses with a sweep of William Jewell last Friday, hitting .306 and earning its first GLVC win. Erica Sledge led the team with 28 assists, 14 digs, and 5 kills, while Makenna Cox contributed across the stat sheet with 14 kills.

Saturday's match against Rockhurst was tightly contested early on. UIS narrowly dropped the first set and rebounded to win the third, but ultimately fell 3-1. The Prairie Stars generated strong offensive pressure, recording 40 kills led by Cox's 18, while tallying 59 digs and 10 team blocks. Rockhurst's consistent attack — 54 kills and 66 points — ultimately carried the match.

Individually, Sledge ranks fourth in the GLVC with 7.57 assists per set and leads the league with a .366 hitting percentage on 87 total kills this season, proving to be one of the GLVC's most efficient athletes. Cox is also a top-five GLVC player, averaging 3.49 kills, 0.53 service aces, and 4.25 points per set.

Lake Superior State (0-12, 0-8 GLIAC)
The Lakers are winless and coming off a loss to No. 15 Ferris State. LSSU showed promise in that match, highlighted by libero Gia Waters' 13 digs. Key players include Elisa Rissoli (70 kills), Morgan Deming (19 blocks), and setter Vanessa Swerdon, who averages 3.97 assists per set.

Tiffin (2-11, 0-7 GMAC)
Tiffin has dropped seven straight matches, including weekend losses at Northwood and Hillsdale. Olivia Karhoff leads the team with 112 kills and 129.5 points, Maggie Pavlanksy has 355 assists, and Kaylee Owens and Kaylee Freund provide additional scoring and blocking options.

Kentucky Wesleyan (1-13, 0-7 GMAC)
This is a rematch of the Sept. 6 sweep by UIS. In that contest, UIS hit .338, with Cox recording 11 kills and 12 digs and Sledge contributing 22 assists and 6 kills. KWC relies on Hadley Wolfe (156 kills, 190 points), Tessa-Jo Allen (141 kills, 155.5 points), and Grace Carter (128 kills, 139.5 points), while setter Julia Kupper has 431 assists and Gracie Newton leads the team with 58 blocks.

Follow Along
Matches will be live streamed on BallerTV, with live stats available online. Court assignments, schedules, and tournament info is linked on the UIS volleyball schedule.