The Illinois Springfield volleyball team will open its home schedule this weekend with GLVC volleyball at TRAC. The Prairie Stars welcome McKendree to Springfield at 6 p.m. on Friday before hosting Missouri-St. Louis at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

UIS enters the weekend 3-9 overall and 0-2 in GLVC play after a pair of tightly contested conference matches last week. The Prairie Stars fell 3-2 to No. 24 Indianapolis before dropping a 3-1 decision at Lewis. UIS nearly forced a fifth set against the Flyers after keeping the fourth set close late.

McKendree also enters the weekend 0-2 in conference play with a 2-10 overall record. The Bearcats were swept by Drury and Southwest Baptist last week.

Madelyn Clarke leads McKendree with 98 total kills and 2.45 per set, while Reece Distler also averages 2.45 kills per set and 2.61 digs per set. Brooke Heimburger is hitting .223 on the season while averaging 2.30 kills per set. 

Missouri-St. Louis enters the weekend at 2-0 in GLVC play and 8-4 overall after defeating Southwest Baptist in three sets and Drury in four last week. The Tritons rank among the top five in the GLVC with a .222 team hitting percentage.

UMSL has one of the conference's top setters in Marly Burbach, who averages 9.86 assists per set. The Tritons also have three players ranked among the GLVC's top 10 in kills per set, led by Alayna Santel's 3.90 kills per set. Santel ranks second in the conference behind UIS' Makenna Cox. Bridget Cassady averages 3.35 kills per set, while Maggie Johnson adds 2.93. Skylar Weaver leads UMSL defensively with 4.31 digs per set.

The weekend also serves as UIS' recognition of Hazing Prevention Week in partnership with the UIS Dean of Students Office. UIS students who wear blue to the matches will receive free popcorn.

All UIS conference volleyball matches will be streamed live on the GLVC Sports Network.