Volleyball season wraps up

November 11, 2009
By Sean Olsta
Sports Reporter

Women’s volleyball played in their two final games of the season last weekend at TRAC.  Friday night, the Prairie Stars (10-20, 1-12) played host the Screaming Eagles of Southern Indiana (16-13, 8-5) in a GLVC showdown.  Southern Indiana beat UIS 3-1.

The Prairie Stars took the early lead in game one as they won the first four points.  Their lead eventually evaporated when Southern Indiana tied the game at eight.  Prairie Stars started to let the game slip away from there on out.  The Screaming Eagles won the first game 25-14.

The second game UIS started with a 9-3 lead.  As the Prairie Stars were expanding their lead when Southern Indiana head coach Leah Mercer received a yellow card for arguing calls with the referees.  Mercer’s sideline enthusiasm couldn’t help the Screaming Eagles as they lost game two 25-19.

Game three was a battle to take an advantage in the match.  The game was tied at 5 but UIS never saw even a share of the lead for the rest of the game.  Southern Indiana to pulled away to a 25-18 victory.

With the match in the balance Southern Indiana ended up being too much for UIS to handle in game four.  The game was once again tied at 5 but the Screaming Eagles wouldn’t let allow the Prairie Stars to get any closer.  Southern Indiana wrapped up match with a 25-18 win.

Courtnee Brown dominated the stat sheet for the Prairie Stars with 15 kills.  Although she didn’t lead the team with kills the Screaming Eagles Brittani Oliver delivered punishing kills that led to her team’s victory.

Saturday, the Prairie Stars (11-20, 2-14) played the Panthers of Kentucky Wesleyan (1-31, 0-13) in an afternoon affair.  The Prairie Stars honored the two seniors the team, Sarah Cooper and Kelly Wajda, before their season closing match.  A respectable crowd, which included a pair of nuns who donned foam fingers, watched as UIS was able to end the season on a high note with a 3-0 victory.

The Prairie Stars came out strong in game one.  The Panthers fell behind 10-5 early and the Prairie Stars never let them back in the game.  Aggressive play from Prairie Stars front line led to a strong 25-19 win.

In game two UIS was in control from the first point to the last.  Junior Courtnee Brown, who led the Prairie Stars with kills (11), was all over the court in game two sending her into the crowd at one point.  The Prairie Stars took game two 25-14.

Game three played tight in the beginning the two teams tied at 5.  But on the very next point an emphatic kill by UIS senior Sarah Cooper seemed to shift the game in the Prairie Stars favor.  Three points is the closest Kentucky Wesleyan would get to the lead in the final game, UIS won game three 25-14.