Springfield, Ill. – The Missouri S&T women's volleyball team was unable to prevent Illinois Springfield from winning its sixth consecutive home match as Prairie Stars overcame an opening set deficit to notch a 3-1 victory over the Miners (23-25, 25-13, 25-17, 25-22) this Friday (Sept. 28) evening in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) action at UIS's The Recreation and Athletic Center (TRAC).
The league setback overshadowed a match-leading 19-kills performance from junior outside hitter
Emilee Schlader (Lewiston, Idaho/Lewiston), who
also served up a match-best five service aces.
Joining Schlader in double-figure kills were senior right-side hitter
Ellen Schulz (Wildwood, Mo./Eureka) with 13 and senior outside hitter
Carlie Combs (O'Fallon, Mo./St. Dominic) added 10 as the Miners claimed a 52-49 kills advantage.
On the defensive end,
Carlie Combs (O'Fallon, Mo./St. Dominic) and junior defensive specialist-libero
Corinne Stulce (St. Charles, Mo./Duchesne) each totaled a team-high 16 digs. Junior defensive specialist-libero
Eva Mich (St. Peters, Mo./Francis Howell Central) chipped in with 11 digs and redshirt sophomore setter
Sarah McGinnis (Middleton, Wis./Edgewood) provided 10 digs to go along with a match-most 46 assists. McGinnis and Combs also recorded a service ace as seven were produced by the Miners, who are now 10-6 overall and 3-4 in conference action to date this campaign.
UIS, which upped its season record to 12-4 overall and 6-1 in the GLVC, was led by Jailyn Borum's match-leading 27 digs as she was among three individuals to tally double digits in the defensive statistical category. Brianna Bush and Alli Splitt provided 12 and 10 kills, respectively to lead the Prairie Stars' offense.
Set 1: S&T 25 – UIS 23
The Miners jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the match by claiming the opening set as S&T, which hit for a .196 percentage, tallied two straight points to snap a 19-all tie. A Prairie Stars' attack error put S&T on the cusp of winning the set at 24-22, but a Miners' service error cut the UIS deficit to one point. However, S&T captured the victory on the ensuing play as
Emilee Schlader (Lewiston, Idaho/Lewiston) hammered a kill on a set from
Sarah McGinnis (Middleton, Wis./Edgewood).
Set 2: UIS 25 – S&T 13
UIS evened the match up at one apiece as the Prairie Stars hit at an impressive .323 clip with 11 kills on 31 attempts while S&T struggled on its offensive end as the Miners posted a -.068 hitting profiency. The margin was close one for the first 24 points scored before UIS proceeded to go on a 7-0 run to take a 21-10 lead en route to claiming the set.
Set 3: UIS 25 – S&T 17
S&T managed to hit a little better in set three as the Miners turned in a .043 attack percentage, but couldn't contain UIS as the Prairie Stars enjoyed a .231 hit success rate. The host team garnered a 16-10 lead, but the Miners bounced back to close within four points at 18-14 following a kill by
Ellen Schulz (Wildwood, Mo./Eureka). Unfortunately, the rally resulted in UIS reeling off four unanswered points to increase its lead to 22-14. S&T picked up the next two points only to have the Prairie Stars counter with two straight of their own as a Miners' attack miscue on set point dashed any aspirations of a comeback.
Set 4: UIS 25 – S&T 22
The fourth and final set featured five tie scores and three lead changes, which included an 18-17 S&T edge following a UIS service error. The Miners' lead was a short-lived one as the Prairie Stars scored three points in a row to take a 20-18 lead. A
Emilee Schlader (Lewiston, Idaho/Lewiston) kill pulled S&T into a 20-all deadlock and then both teams exchanged a point to knot the set up at 21-21. A pair of UIS points would follow giving the Prairie Stars a 24-21 advantage and a set point kill from Rachel Cobert concluded the match.
Up Next: The Miners go up against the McKendree Bearcats this Saturday (Sept. 29) in a 3 p.m. (CT) conference encounter at MU's Harry M. Statham Sports Center in Lebanon, Ill.
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