The Illinois Springfield volleyball team continues its road swing this week with a pair of GLVC matchups. The Prairie Stars visit Truman State on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Kirksville, Mo., before traveling to Fayette, Iowa, to face Upper Iowa on Saturday at 3 p.m.

UIS (7-16, 1-8 GLVC) looks to bounce back after a close loss at Quincy, where the Prairie Stars came up just short of extending the match to a fourth set.

Kendall Johnson leads the UIS offense with 216 kills, while freshmen Khadijah Blue and Alyssa Gray have added 128 and 126 kills, respectively. Johnson also leads the team with 30 service aces, followed by Gray and Marley Christy with 16 apiece. The Prairie Stars have totaled 134 aces this season.

Both opponents are in the mix for GLVC Tournament positioning. Truman State sits seventh in the conference standings at 11-12 overall and 5-5 in GLVC play, while Upper Iowa is ninth at 11-11 overall and 4-6 in conference matches. UIS holds a 9-7 all-time record against Truman State, winning four of the last five meetings. Upper Iowa leads the all-time series 4-3, though the Prairie Stars have won the last three matchups against the Peacocks.

Truman State (11-12, 5-5 GLVC) split its matches last weekend, falling 3-1 at Drury before earning a 3-0 win over Southwest Baptist. The Bulldogs average 13.0 kills and 17.1 digs per set while hitting .215 as a team.

Setter Tori Creason ranks second in the GLVC with 10.48 assists per set, helping lead a balanced offensive attack. Laci Neece is also among the conference's top 10 in kills, averaging 3.30 per set.

The Prairie Stars have won four of their last five meetings with the Bulldogs, despite trailing 9-7 in the all-time series.

Upper Iowa (11-11, 4-6 GLVC) also split its weekend matches, defeating Southwest Baptist 3-1 on Friday before falling 3-0 to Drury on Saturday. The Peacocks average 12.1 kills, 11.3 assists and 2.0 service aces per set while hitting .183 as a team.

Natalie Bystol leads Upper Iowa with 202 kills, while Kailey Porter has recorded 171 kills with a .311 hitting percentage. Morgan Block anchors the defense with 429 digs, averaging 5.5 per set. Addy Vaughn and Grace Fruzen lead the Peacocks in service aces with 32 apiece.

Although Upper Iowa leads the all-time series 4-3, UIS has won the last three meetings between the programs.

UIS will look to generate consistent offensive production and take advantage of its serving opportunities while limiting the impact of two opponents competing for conference tournament positioning.

Both matches will be available to watch on the GLVC Sports Network.