Buckle up — it's another fast-paced week for the Prairie Stars, with springs sport in action across the Midwest and beyond.

Women's and men's basketball both head to the St. Louis area for GLVC matchups at Maryville and McKendree, while tennis travels to Kentucky for matches at Thomas More. Softball opens tournament play in Tennessee, and baseball begins the 2026 season on the road in Georgia.

Stay tuned for updates and results throughout the week, or sign up for email updates about teams of your choice.

Tuesday, Feb. 3
1:00 p.m. – Head Flag Football Coach Colin Wood Welcome Event
UIS officially welcomes Colin Wood as the program's first head flag football coach. Wood will deliver his first public remarks, outlining his vision for the program and the future of flag football at UIS.

Thursday, Feb. 5
5:30 p.m. – Women's Basketball at Maryville
UIS (9-11, 6-6 GLVC) is coming off a two-win weekend highlighted by a ranked victory over No. 25 UMSL. The Stars stay close to home this week, beginning the trip with Maryville (16-5, 10-3 GLVC). Maryville split last weekend, falling 75-65 to UMSL before defeating McKendree 76-63. The Saints earned a 74-56 win over UIS in December, but a Prairie Stars victory would complete a season split and provide a boost in the GLVC standings.

7:30 p.m. – Men's Basketball at Maryville
UIS men's basketball is also coming off a perfect weekend, defeating Lincoln 85-76 and UMSL 78-74 to complete its first-ever season sweep of the Tritons. Maryville (2-19, 0-13 GLVC) remains winless in league play. UIS defeated the Saints 81-68 earlier this season and holds an 11-10 edge in the all-time series.

Friday, Feb. 6
10:00 a.m. – Softball vs. Union (Chattanooga Invitational)
UIS softball (1-1) begins tournament play after opening the season with a split against Roosevelt. The Prairie Stars face host Union (0-4), a Gulf South Conference opponent that opened the year against a challenging slate, including three ranked teams. UIS and Union last met during early-season tournaments in 2019.

11:00 a.m. & 3:00 p.m. CT (12:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m. ET) – Baseball at Savannah State
UIS baseball opens the 2026 season with a road series at Savannah State (32-14, 24-9 SIAC in 2025). Both programs appeared in their respective conference championship games last season. The three-game series begins with a Friday doubleheader and marks the first meeting between the two teams.

4:00 p.m. – Women's Tennis at Thomas More
UIS women's tennis continues the search for its first win after an 0-2 opening weekend against strong Ohio competition. Thomas More (0-1) fell 6-1 to Northern Kentucky in its opener. Friday marks the first meeting between the two programs.

4:00 p.m. – Men's Tennis at Thomas More
The UIS men's team also looks to bounce back following an 0-2 opening weekend at Tiffin and Findlay. Thomas More (0-1) opened its season with a 7-0 loss to Northern Kentucky. This is the first-ever matchup between the Prairie Stars and Saints.

3:00 p.m. – Softball vs. Palm Beach Atlantic (Chattanooga Invitational)
Palm Beach Atlantic (0-2) opened its season against Keiser. The Sailfish, members of the Sunshine State Conference, meet UIS for the first time.

Saturday, Feb. 7
9:00 a.m. CT (10:00 a.m. ET) – Baseball at Savannah State
The season-opening series concludes with a single game on Saturday morning.

10:00 a.m. – Softball vs. Cedarville (Chattanooga Invitational)
UIS faces a familiar early-season opponent in Cedarville. The Yellow Jackets had yet to open their season entering the week but will be through their first two games before meeting the Prairie Stars.

12:30 p.m. – Softball vs. Shorter (Chattanooga Invitational)
Shorter (2-0) opened its season with a sweep of Lee before weather canceled its next two games. The Prairie Stars and Hawks meet for the first time.

1:00 p.m. – Women's Basketball at McKendree
UIS continues its stretch against GLVC top-eight teams, traveling to Lebanon, Ill., to face McKendree (11-8, 8-5 GLVC). The Bearcats edged UIS by two points in December.
McKendree is coming off losses to No. 25 UMSL and Maryville.

3:00 p.m. – Men's Basketball at McKendree
McKendree (17-4, 10-3 GLVC) has surged since UIS defeated the Bearcats on Dec. 4, winning six of its next eight games. McKendree extended its current win streak to six with victories over UMSL and Maryville last weekend. Saturday's matchup adds another chapter to the longest-standing rivalry in UIS men's basketball history.