UIS volleyball opened GLVC play with a five-set battle against No. 24 UIndy on Friday, falling 3-2 by set scores of 20-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-21, 7-15. UIS fought back from deficits in both the third and fourth sets, including a 13-9 hole in the fourth before taking a 15-13 lead, but UIndy held on in the decisive fifth set.
The Prairie Stars erased a 7-4 deficit in the opening set and moved ahead 9-7, getting a block from
Maddie Mendelblatt and
Alyssa Gray, two
Makenna Cox kills and help from UIndy attack errors during the stretch. After the teams traded points to 11-11, UIndy scored four straight, including consecutive Amaree Haralson aces, and later moved ahead 19-12. The Prairie Stars got late kills from Cox and a
Madi Siefken ace before UIndy took the set 25-20.
UIS broke a 19-19 tie by scoring the final six points of the second set, beginning with a
Makenna Cox kill and closing out a 25-19 set win.
Emma Frazier served the last five points, a stretch that included blocks involving
Khadijah Blue,
Makenna Cox and
Madi Siefken, along with kills from Blue, Cox and Siefken.
The Prairie Stars spent the third set trying to recover from an 8-1 deficit and made their late push behind
Madi Siefken's serve, taking four straight points to close within 22-20.
Kendall Johnson, Cox and Blue all contributed points during the closing stretch, and Blue's kill brought UIS within 23-22. UIndy held off the rally and took the set 25-23.
UIS erased a 13-9 deficit in the fourth set with a 6-0 run, moving ahead 15-13 while
Madi Siefken served five straight points. Blue opened the stretch with a kill, and the run included a Siefken ace, kills by Johnson and Cox, and a Johnson-Blue block. UIndy got back within 23-21, but
Makenna Cox answered with a kill before Siefken and Blue combined on the closing block for a 25-21 set win.
The Prairie Stars answered UIndy's first two points with a
Makenna Cox kill from
Madi Siefken and a Cox service ace to tie the fifth set at 2-2. UIndy scored the next four points, and kills by
Kendall Johnson and
Maddie Mendelblatt pulled the Prairie Stars back to 6-4. After Cox later made it 12-7, UIndy scored the final three points to take the set 15-7.Â
Makenna Cox led Illinois Springfield with 23 kills and 25.5 points while adding 19 digs.
Kendall Johnson recorded 21 kills, 21 digs and three block assists.
Madi Siefken finished with 54 assists, four service aces, 11 digs and five blocks.
Emma Frazier collected a team-high 25 digs and added five assists.Â
"Tonight we learned that playing a tough preseason schedule in preparation for conference was the right move," said Coach Ulrich. "Our blocking continues to improve, while some of the things we worked on earlier in the season have stayed at a high level. We're excited to watch this group continue to show this type of grit on the court for the remainder of the season."
UIS volleyball returns to action Saturday, traveling to Lewis for a 3 p.m. GLVC match in Romeoville, Ill.
