UIS Volleyball (7-14, 1-7 GLVC) defeated Purdue Northwest (5-15, 2-8 GLIAC) 3-2 on Saturday, winning 23-25, 26-24, 23-25, 26-24, 15-13. The Prairie Stars took the lead in the fifth set after trailing by one and finished with 61 kills and a .227 hitting percentage. The win closed out a 3-0 weekend for the Prairie Stars at the Midwest Regional Crossover.
The Prairie Stars erased a 7-4 deficit in the first set with a six-point run, moving in front 10-7 as
Alyssa Gray served five straight points.
Maddie Mendelblatt and
Madi Siefken combined on two blocks during that stretch, and
Kendall Johnson added a kill from Siefken. Purdue Northwest reached 24-21 late, but
Khadijah Blue's kill and
Marley Christy's ace brought Illinois Springfield within 24-23 before Purdue Northwest closed the set, 25-23.
In the second set, Illinois Springfield closed out a 26-24 win, answering Purdue Northwest's 24-24 tie with a Purdue Northwest service error and Gray kill from Siefken. Earlier, the Prairie Stars moved from an 8-8 tie to a 12-8 lead behind kills from Mendelblatt and Blue, followed by two Purdue Northwest attack errors. Blue added a late service ace to make it 24-22 before Purdue Northwest pulled even, but Illinois Springfield took the final two points.
Illinois Springfield made a late push in the third set, scoring three straight points on kills from Mendelblatt, Siefken and Johnson to close a 24-20 deficit to 24-23. Purdue Northwest ended the set on the next point, taking it 25-23.
In the fourth set, the Prairie Stars recovered from a 21-15 deficit, winning seven of the next eight rallies to tie Purdue Northwest at 22-22. The push included Gray kill and service ace, kills from Mendelblatt and Johnson, and two Purdue Northwest errors. After the teams reached 24-24, Johnson's kill put Illinois Springfield back in front and a Purdue Northwest attack error closed out a 26-24 set win.
The Prairie Stars turned the fifth set after falling behind 9-7, scoring four straight points to move in front 11-9 behind two Johnson kills and a Blue-Siefken block. Purdue Northwest got back within 14-13, but a Purdue Northwest attack error ended the set 15-13 in favor of the Prairie Stars.
Johnson led the squad with 19 kills and 19.5 points while adding 16 digs. Blue finished with 13 kills, five total blocks, two service aces and 18 points. Gray tallied five service aces, nine kills and nine digs.
Emma Frazier collected a team-high 22 digs and added six assists.
"These young women continue to show us each week that they are hungry to improve their individual performance and eager to elevate the level of our program." said head coach
Laura Ulrich. "Playing a team we lost to prior to the injuries we've dealt with and battling for a close win is clear validation for the team that we are headed in the right direction!"
UIS will return home to play Quincy on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before going to Quincy for a conference match on Saturday at 3 p.m.Â
