SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Lewis University's second ranked women's volleyball team defeated Illinois Springfield 3-2 (25-16, 28-30, 25-16, 22-25, 15-9) on Friday evening at The Recreation and Athletics Center in Springfield, Ill. The Flyers improve to 4-0 both overall and in the GLVC while the Prairie Stars drop to 1-3 overall and in the conference.

Caroline Stefanon (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) led four Lewis players in double figures with a match and career-high 18 kills while Amanda Greening (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) added 14 kills and Ava Venema (Westmont, Ill./Timothy Christian) and Natalie Stefanski (Plainfield, Ill./Joliet West) added 12 kills apiece. Haley Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) handed out 38 set assists and Jamie Poppen (Ballwin, Mo./Parkway West) had a team-high 28 digs.

The Flyers hit .208 for the contest recording 71 kills against 28 errors in 207 chances and held UIS to an attack percentage of .125 (45 kills/23 errors/176 total attacks).

The opening set was close with Lewis holding a 16-13 lead near the midway point. After a timeout by the Prairie Stars scored back-to-back points on kills from Megan Krasowski and Kenzie Hendon to get within 16-15 but that was the closest they got as the Flyers closed the set on a 9-1 run to take the opener.

Stefanski had five kills in the opening stanza while Stefanon and Megan Schlechte (Strasburg, Ill./Stewardson-Strasburg) had kills apiece.

The second set featured 20 ties and eight lead changes. Lewis lead 24-22 in the frame and had a chance to close it out, but the Prairie Stars ran off three straight points to take the lead at 25-24 when Stefanon was blocked by Ryleigh Warfel and Brianna Bush.

UIS had four chances to even the set but each time the Flyers came back to tie. The Prairie Stars got their fifth opportunity to close it out on and did on a kill from Hendon.

Lewis led for a majority of set three and were ahead 11-10 when it seized command of the set thanks to a 9-3 run. Stefanski and Venema had two kills apiece in that deciding run while Stefanon added one and Mikah Freppon (Cold Spring, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) added an ace. The lead grew to as many as 10 points before reaching the final margin of 25-16.

The Stars led by as many as three points in the fourth stanza, but the Flyers were able to get within a point on four separate occasions but couldn't get over the hump as UIS took the frame 25-22 to force a winner take all fifth set.

The two sides swapped the first eight points of the final set when Lewis took control with a 5-1 run to grab a 9-5 advantage. Stefanon had two kills in that run while Andrea Zeiser (Eureka, Mo./Eureka) added a service ace. The Prairie Stars closed to within 9-7 but that would be the closest they got as the Flyers closed out the match scoring six of the last eight points to win 15-9. Greening had four of the team's final six kills.

Krasowski led UIS with 11 kills and was joined in double figures by Bush and Hendon with 10 kills each. Regan Trueblood distributed 25 assists and Amanda McConnell finished with a match-high 30 digs.

Lewis returns to action next Saturday hosting Southwest Baptist and sixth ranked Missouri-St. Louis in a tri-match beginning at 10 a.m. The Flyers and Bearcats will play first followed by SBU and the Tritons at 1 pm with Lewis' match against UMSL scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.