Rough season for athletics comes to a close
November 11, 2009
By Michael Omenazu
Senior Sports Reporter
Photo by Melissa Conrad |
As UIS moves to the NCAA Division II level, it began its first year of competition within the Great Lakes Valley Conference. As each sport made the move, they encountered success and struggles as well.
Women’s Volleyball
The Lady Prairie Stars ended the season 11-20 (2-12 GLVC). Of all of the sports team, Women’s Volleyball enjoyed the most success, making history as it became the first UIS sports team to defeat a GLVC opponent.
Their season included both long winning and losing streaks, at times consecutively. To start off the year UIS went through a period where they followed winning six of seven matches with seven consecutive defeats.
The highlight of the season came on October 10, 2009 as the team was able to enter both the win column for a conference match for the first time and thus the record books by beating Maryville. The team ended the year with another conference win, sweeping Kentucky Wesleyan in their final match.
Men’s Soccer
Over the last thirty years the university, athletics department and soccer program have enjoyed progress and growth. As Head Coach, Joe Eck has been there for all of it.
Eck said he realizes the role he plays in an athlete's personal and athletic growth. “It’s so rewarding to see a young man mature and grow up, and see him years later,” he said.
In Eck’s final season, the soccer squad finished 2-14-1. After starting with a 5-1 victory over Blackburn, the team struggled in their next 14 games, going 0-13-1. Their season highlight came in their homecoming match against Bellarmine, which was a physical and intense contest that resulted in an overtime loss.
Women’s Soccer
After opening the year with an offensive outburst, the Lady Prairie Stars finished by losing their 14 remaining games, being held scoreless in all.
In contests against Blackburn and MacMurray, UIS earned 6-0 and 5-0 victories respectively. However, they were unable to sustain their offensive momentum throughout the season, failing to score in any matches afterwards.
Junior Midfielder Casey Thorpe and sophomore Goalkeeper Kelli Kubal led the team with consistently strong play. Thorpe finished the year with 35 shots and Kubal added 167 saves to the season stat sheet.
