The Illinois Springfield volleyball team will open the 2026 season with four matches this weekend at the Ferris State Invitational in Big Rapids, Mich.
The Prairie Stars begin tournament play Friday, Aug. 28, against Emporia State at 8:00 a.m. CT before facing tournament host Ferris State at 2:30 p.m. CT. UIS returns to the court Saturday morning against MSU Denver at 8:00 a.m. CT and closes the tournament against Purdue Northwest at 2:30 p.m. CT.
UIS was selected ninth in the 2026 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) women's volleyball preseason coaches' poll, presented by Primo Designs, the conference office announced Thursday.
UIS received 71 points in the poll, which was selected by the league's head coaches. Per GLVC bylaws, coaches are not permitted to vote for their own team.
The UIS men's soccer team (0-1-0) fell to Alabama-Huntsville (1-0-0) in a tightly contested season opener, with a final score of 2-1 at Kiwanis Stadium.
The match began with Illinois Springfield facing an early challenge as UAH's Oli Orzechowski scored just under ten minutes into play, putting the visitors ahead 1-0. The Prairie Stars responded assertively, with goalkeeper Kevin Kardel making critical saves to keep the deficit at one. Gentil Selemani then equalized for Illinois Springfield, leveling the score at 1-1 before the halftime break.
This week, the 2026-27 athletic year officially starts with a Thursday home men's soccer match against Alabama-Huntsville. Plus, the volleyball (to Michigan) and women's soccer (Alabama/Tennessee) teams left campus for road trips.
We welcomed the largest group of student-athletes in UIS history with 296 athletes, including 15 freshmen flag football players. We are excited to launch flag football as the 18th UIS sport this spring.
The UIS women's soccer team opens the fall 2026 season with two road games this week. The Prairie Stars will visit Alabama Huntsville on Friday at 4:00 p.m. before traveling to Nashville to face Trevecca Nazarene on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
UIS returns a squad that gained valuable experience last season. Leading scorer Mallory Herber returns for her junior season after scoring 7 goals as a sophomore. The Prairie Stars also welcome a large freshman class and were picked ninth in the GLVC preseason poll, just outside the projected tournament field.
UIS Athletics placed 161 student-athletes on the Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Team, recognizing Prairie Stars who achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or higher in 2025-26.
The department's honorees represented all 17 NCAA sports at UIS, highlighting the academic success of Prairie Stars across the department.
The Illinois Springfield women's soccer team was picked ninth in the 2026 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) preseason coaches' poll, the conference office announced Wednesday. The preseason poll is selected by the league's head coaches, who, per GLVC bylaws, are not permitted to vote for their own team.
UIS men's soccer opens the 2026 regular season Thursday, hosting Alabama Huntsville at 4:00 p.m. at Kiwanis Stadium.
The match serves as both the Prairie Stars' regular-season and home opener and begins a two-game non-conference stretch before GLVC play gets underway. UIS will travel to Western Illinois on Sunday for a 4:00 p.m. match.
The UIS men's soccer team was picked 13th in the 2026 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) preseason coaches' poll, announced Wednesday by the conference office.
Lincoln was selected as the preseason favorite, receiving six first-place votes and 192 points. Rockhurst also earned six first-place votes and was picked second with 180 points, while Maryville received two first-place votes and 166 points to rank third. Indianapolis was the only other team to receive a first-place vote, earning one and finishing fifth with 158 points.
The UIS women's cross country team will enter the 2026 season ranked fourth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, according to the league's preseason coaches poll released Tuesday.
The Prairie Stars received 126 points, narrowly trailing third-place Maryville (129) and finishing ahead of Drury (125). Lewis was selected as the preseason favorite with 169 points, including 13 first-place votes, while Southwest Baptist received the remaining first-place vote and 152 total points.