BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team saw its season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion with a five-set College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Semifinals setback at the hands of third-seeded Millikin University Thursday night, Nov. 7 inside the Shirk Center.

The match marked the final of the careers of Emily Steininger (Melrose Park, Ill.-West Leyden HS), Raina Emery (Chicago, Ill.-HS for Agricultural Science) and Emily Kase (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Buffalo Grove), as well as the end of an improbable turnaround by the Titans. IWU, who began the season winless in its first 12 matches, displayed resiliency in the second half of the season. Illinois Wesleyan won six of its final nine regular season matches en route to securing the second seed in the CCIW Tournament.

"It is always hard to see the season end," IWU Head Coach Kim Nelson-Brown reflected. "I am so thankful to our seniors for their dedication to our program, and to the entire team for their resolve throughout the season. I could not be more proud of this team and their effort this year."

Junior Jessica McCall (Wayne, Ill.-Wheaton St. Francis) and Steininger led the Titans with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. McCall added 16 digs for her 19th double-double of the year.

Sophomore Madi Corey (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East HS) posted 33 assists to go along with seven kills and three blocks.

A trio of sophomores paced IWU's defensive efforts as Amber Juarez (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal U High) tallied a team-best 24 digs and Makenna Jacoby (Shorewood, Ill.-Minooka Community) tied a career-high with 16 of her own. Courtney McAuliffe (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont HS) notched a match-best six blocks.

IWU won the first set 25-22, but Millikin evened things up with a 25-19 second set. The Titans regained the edge with a 25-18 victory in the third before the Big Blue rattled off 25-19 and 15-10 wins to take the match, 3-2. With the win, MU advances to the CCIW Championship match against top-seeded Carthage College.