WAUKESHA, Wis. - Head Illinois Wesleyan University Women's Volleyball Coach Kim Nelson-Brown earned the 500th win of her career as the Titans topped Carroll University Wednesday night, Oct. 13. IWU defeated the Pioneers in four sets (15-25, 25-13, 25-18, 27-25) to improve its record to 12-10 (5-1 CCIW), while Carroll's record dipped to 6-15 (0-5 CCIW).

IWU dropped the first set 25-15, but came storming back to take the next three sets. In the second set, the Green and White saw a commanding 7-0 lead from five Pioneer errors and two aces from senior Jessica McCall (Wayne, Ill. - Wheaton St. Francis). The Titans extended the lead to 17-7 and proceeded to manufacture a five-point run to deepen their advantage to 22-7. In this run, McCall added one kill, senior Madi Corey (Frankfort, Ill. - Lincoln-Way East) tabbed two kills, and Carroll saw two more attacking errors. With the score 24-7, freshman Ava Porada (Frankfort, Ill. - Lincoln-Way East) assisted Corey who produced the set-winning kill.

In the third set, the Green and White got out to an early 7-5 lead. However, just like in the second set, IWU benefited from another seven point run to enjoy a 14-5 cushion. Senior Courtney McAuliffe (Lemont, Ill. - Lemont) produced two kills while Corey added another kill in this run. The Titans would not relinquish the lead and would eventually win the fourth set 25-18 that ended in a Pioneer attack error. 

The fourth and final set was back-and-forth. Illinois Wesleyan's largest lead was 15-10, but Carroll quickly closed the gap with a four-point run. The Pioneers were leading 22-19 late in the fourth, before a kill by McCall and junior Grace Sanders (Bloomington, Ill - Bloomington) cut the deficit to 23-22. IWU staved off two set points en route to taking a 25-24 lead. The Titans would score back-to-back points by a kill and ace from Corey to finish off the Pioneers, 27-25. 

Corey notched another double-double with her 13-kill and 14-assist performance. She also added an ace, four blocks, and nine digs. The Frankfort, Ill. native manufactured a .258 hitting percentage for the match. 

McCall and McAuliffe produced nine and eight kills, respectively. McAuliffe also recorded five blocks to go along with her team leading .294 hitting percentage. The Titan offense notched a .149 hitting percentage for the match, while Carroll could only muster a .134 percentage.

McCall captured a match-high 18 digs for the contest. Sophomore Faith Washko (Springfield, Ill. - Sacred Heart-Griffin) contributed 12 digs for the Titan defense. 

Porada led the Green and White with her 17 assists. 

IWU enjoyed advantages in aces (8-5) and blocks (8-6), while the Pioneers led in kills (42-41), assists (40-36), and digs (62-55).
 
The Green and White will make another trip to Wisconsin to participate in the UW-Eau Claire Tournament over a two-day span, Friday, Oct. 15 and Saturday, Oct. 16. The Titans will tangle with Finlandia University Oct. 15 at 4:30 p.m., followed by UW-La Crosse and 12th-ranked UW-Eau Claire, Oct. 16 at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively.