The Illinois Springfield volleyball team will open Great Lakes Valley Conference play at TRAC this weekend, hosting Lewis on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. and Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.


Friday's match will serve as Hazing Prevention Night. Fans are encouraged to wear purple to show their commitment to hazing prevention and support National Hazing Prevention Week.

Illinois Springfield (6-4)
The Prairie Stars closed non-conference play at their own Prairie Star Classic last weekend, falling in all three matches. In Saturday's homecoming finale, UIS pushed Maryville to five sets in an electric back-and-forth contest. The Stars came up just short, but the match featured rallies, comebacks, and standout efforts from several key contributors.

Sophomore outside hitter Kendall Johnson provided steady production throughout the weekend, reaching double-digit digs in all three matches while adding eight kills against Maryville. Makenna Cox was the go-to option in the finale, swinging 50 times and finishing with 17 kills to pace the offense.

Setter Erica Sledge, an all-tournament team member, continued to run the attack efficiently. She distributed 26 assists against Maryville while also contributing six kills of her own on a .217 attack percentage.

Defensively, libero Tuana Yuce anchored the back row with a team-high 21 digs against Maryville, capping a weekend in which she averaged more than four digs per set. Middle blocker Lexie Vick added a spark at the net, finishing with eight kills in the finale to go along with a pair of blocks.

UIS now turns the page to GLVC play, looking to build on those bright spots as conference competition begins.

Lewis (6-5)
Picked as the GLVC preseason coaches' poll favorite, Lewis has tested itself against one of the nation's toughest early schedules. The Flyers are 6-5, with a notable 3-1 win over No. 17 Wingate and three of their losses coming against ranked opponents. The reigning GLVC champions return 13 players from last year's roster, including key contributors junior outside hitter Lauren Buxton, junior setter Lily King, and redshirt-junior setter Rachel Kaczorowski.

Buxton recorded 215 kills a season ago and already has 127 on the current campaign, averaging 2.95 per set. King and Kaczorowski combined for 1,275 of the team's 1,552 assists last season, with Kaczorowski also pacing the Flyers in service aces. At the net, middle blocker Morgan O'Niel has been a defensive presence early this season, highlighted by an eight-block performance last week.

Indianapolis (8-4)
Indianapolis entered the season ranked sixth in the GLVC preseason poll, one spot ahead of UIS, with both programs projected to contend for a league tournament berth. The Greyhounds head into the weekend at 8-4 after picking up a pair of sweeps on the final day of the Triton Invitational in Florida last weekend.

The setting responsibilities are spread across multiple players, with Carly Fonda and Claire Morris combining for 31 assists against Saint Leo and Lucia Brown adding nine assists and five service aces in a sweep of Edward Waters.

Offensively, the Greyhounds are paced by Maddie Lynch, who has 156 kills at a 3.63 per-set clip. Allie Wuestenfeld leads the team with 18 service aces (0.42/set), while the back row features strong production from Macy Bruton (113 digs, 3.77 digs/set) and Paige Parlanti (112 digs). At the net, Lauren Gips has anchored the team with 35 total blocks, including 27 block assists, good for 0.85 blocks per set.

Follow Along
Watch on GLVCSN or follow live statistics coverage at uisprairiestars.com.