The UIS volleyball team fell to William Jewell 3-0 on Saturday, falling 21-25, 14-25, 23-25.Â
The Prairie Stars answered a 15-6 first-set deficit with an 8-0 run, getting two
Kendall Johnson kills, a Johnson service ace and an
Alyssa Gray kill to pull within 15-14. William Jewell pushed back after that surge, but UIS stayed within reach and later cut the margin to 23-21. William Jewell scored the final two points to take the set 25-21.
The Prairie Stars could not overcome William Jewell's mid-set separation, as William Jewell moved from a 12-8 lead to 16-8 and later stretched the gap to 21-9.
Kendall Johnson had three kills in the set for the Prairie Stars, while
Khadijah Blue added two and
Eva Huerta recorded a late service ace. William Jewell closed the second set 25-14.
The Prairie Stars rallied from 18-15 down to move ahead 19-18, with Blue's kill, a
Kaitlyn Taylor-Blue block and Taylor's kill from
Madi Siefken helping drive the push. William Jewell answered to reach 24-20, but  stayed alive with kills from
Kendall Johnson and
Maddie Mendelblatt and a Blue service ace. William Jewell finished the set 25-23.Â
Kendall Johnson led the Prairie Stars with nine kills and added seven digs, one ace and one block assist. Blue finished with seven kills, hit .222 and added one ace and two block assists.
Madi Siefken recorded 18 assists, 10 digs, one ace and two block assists.
Emma Frazier collected a team-high 12 digs and added two assists as well.
"We're going through a challenging stretch, but nobody in our locker room is looking for excuses," said head coach
Laura Ulrich. "Our players are learning the value of resilience, accountability, and sticking together when things aren't easy. That's what will ultimately move this program forward."
Up next, the Prairie Stars volleyball return home for Homecoming Week. UIS will face Drury on Friday at 6 p.m., Southwest Baptist on Saturday at 2 p.m.
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