The UIS volleyball team hits the road in GLVC play this weekend, taking on Maryville at 6:00 p.m. on Friday and Missouri S&T at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Prairie Stars enter the weekend with their GLVC Tournament hopes still alive and an experienced squad looking to close the regular season strong.

Illinois Springfield (12-12, 4-7 GLVC)
UIS swept Upper Iowa last Friday night before falling 3-1 in a hard-fought match against Truman State on Saturday, nearly extending the contest to a fifth set.

Senior setter Erica Sledge had a strong final weekend at TRAC, totaling 63 assists—32 against UIU and 31 against TSU. Offensively, it was a balanced team effort led by Makenna Cox, Madison Siefken, and Kendall Johnson.

The service ace has been a key weapon for UIS, which ranks No. 2 in the GLVC with 1.93 per set. That mark is powered by Cox (42 total, 0.49 per set) and Siefken (31, 0.37 per set).

A strong senior class—Sledge, Alexis Schwartz, Lexie Vick, and Bella Hodges—was celebrated during Saturday's home match and will look to make an impact in these crucial road contests.

Maryville (14-11, 7-4 GLVC)
UIS and Maryville are set for a rematch of the Sept. 20 meeting at the Prairie Star Classic, where Maryville edged UIS 3-2 in a non-conference thriller. The match was highlighted by Makenna Cox's 17 kills and 22 digs, Erica Sledge's 26 assists and 19 digs, and Tuana Yuce's 21 digs. The Prairie Stars will look to gain the upper hand offensively this time around.

Maryville, already locked into the eight-team GLVC Tournament field, earned back-to-back wins last weekend—3-1 over Drury and 3-0 over Southwest Baptist.

The Saints are led by Ella Brinkmann, who has tallied 322 kills this fall and averages 4.04 points per set. Leslie Longanbach leads the GLVC in blocks (1.26 per set, 111 total), while Olivia Klump ranks third in the league with 5.23 digs per set.

Missouri S&T (9-16, 4-7 GLVC)
The regular season concludes with a pivotal matchup between two teams battling for the final GLVC Tournament spots. Missouri S&T's league wins have come against McKendree, William Jewell, Southwest Baptist, and notably Rockhurst, as the Miners have made a late-season push after starting conference play 0-5.

The Miners are led by Elly Decker, who averages 3.10 points per set with 197 kills and 35 service aces. Kate Zipprich ranks No. 2 in the GLVC in blocks with 13 solo and 91 assisted, while Avery Patton and Addie Schoenberger also provide a strong presence at the net.

Follow Along
Both matches will be streamed live on GLVCSN, with live stats available on the host schools' websites.