Box Score  / UIS Box Score (pdf)

Springfield, Ill. – The Lewis University women's volleyball team was able to dig deep and withstand the pressure from Illinois Springfield on Friday (Nov. 15) to pick up the 3-2 (19-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-22, 15-7) Great Lakes Valley Conference victory.
 
The Flyers improve to 22-8 on the year and 15-2 in GLVC action while the Prairie Starts fall to 7-21 for the season and 3-14 in league play.
 
"Illinois Springfield played great," Lewis head women's volleyball coach Lorelee Smith said. "We had to grind this match out.
 
"Everyone dug deep and made adjustments to their play to be at the level we needed to win."
 
Lewis redshirt junior outside hitter Kim Vertin (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Central) led the Flyers with 20 kills and 13 digs. Sophomore middle hitter Morgan Cebula (Stevens Point, Wis./Stevens Point Area) had 17 kills and two block assists while sophomore outside hitter Cassidy Parsons (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Memorial) collected 15 kills, 12 digs, a solo block and block assists. Redshirt sophomore right side hitter Alexis Davito (Crest Hill, Ill./Lockport) tallied 10 kills and eight digs as junior setter Leigh Barea (Battle Creek, Mich./Harper Creek) dished out 58 assists while collecting five kills and 12 digs.
 
The Flyers came out flat in the first set as the Prairie Stars had control from the start. UIS hit .344 in the first set with 14 kills with three errors in 32 attempts while they held Lewis to swing only .189 with 13 kills and six errors on 37 attempts.
 
The momentum flipped to the Flyers in the second set as Vertin picked up eight kills and two total blocks to help secure the game win. Parsons chipped in five kills for the Flyers as the Prairie Stars committed eight errors in the set.
 
The squads exchanged five ties in the third set before UIS was able to grab the upper hand. The Flyers got within one point at 16-15, collecting a point on an UIS error, but the Prairie Stars shook off all of Lewis' advances to take a 2-1 set lead.
 
In a very tight fourth set, UIS tied the game at 19-all on a kill by Ashley Beaton. Lewis tallied three kills from Parsons, a kill each from Cebula and Davito and an error by UIS to close the set on a 6-3 run to force a fifth game.
 
Lewis carried their momentum into the fifth set and never relinquished the lead. Cebula led the Flyers with four kills and block assists in the game.
 
Kellee Mahaffay's 17 kills led the UIS offense while Beaton collected 15 kills. The Prairie Stars' JoAnna Hoffman had 48 assists, 14 digs and six kills while UIS libero Kayla Katarzynski had a floor-high 27 digs.
 
The Flyers wrap up the regular season at McKendree University on Saturday (Nov. 15) in Lebanon, Ill. First serve is set for 3 PM.