BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - In front of a roaring crowd, the top-seeded Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team soared into the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Championship match with a three-set sweep of fifth-seeded Millikin University Thursday night, Nov. 4, inside the Shirk Center. The Titans (18-12, 7-1 CCIW) took down the Big Blue (21-11, 5-3 CCIW) 25-14, 25-19, and 25-20 to advance to the tournament championship for the first time since 2018.

Senior Jessica McCall's (Wayne, Ill. - Wheaton St. Francis) tip over the block put the Green and White up 7-2 in the first set, and brought about an early timeout by Millikin. After expanding their lead to 16-6 and another MU timeout, back-to-back kills by senior Madi Corey (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) and  junior Evy Makris (Orland Park, Ill. - Sandburg) pushed it to set point, 24-14. Sophomore Lily Summers (Plainfield, Ill. - Plainfield North) pounded a kill off a set by freshman Ava Porada (Frankfort, Ill. - Lincoln-Way East) to give IWU the opening frame, 25-14.

Set two saw the teams trade points back and forth before Makris' kill put Illinois Wesleyan up, 12-11. After a kill from Corey and an MU error, Makris registered an ace from the service line to widen the gap, 19-14. In attempts to stop the lethal IWU offense, Millikin utilized a timeout with the score 21-16 after a block by senior Courtney McAuliffe (Lemont, Ill. - Lemont) and McCall. However, just as in the first set, the timeout did not work as McCall picked up the set-winning kill to finish the second set, 25-19.

The third set was the tightest of the night, as Millikin used several aces in the early goings to take control, 14-8. Following a pair of IWU timeouts, senior Dana Kiszkowski (Schaumburg, Ill.-Schaumburg) and McAuliffe combined for a block to pull the Titans within one, 18-17. Moments later McAuliffe tool a block to give IWU the lead, 19-18. Senior Riley Cross (Arlington Heights, Ill. - Buffalo Grove) kept the Titans' run alive with an ace and strong defense throughout her time at the service. Eventually, McCall finished off the match with a kill to give the Green and White the sweep with a 25-20 win in the third.

McCall finished with a double-double with match-highs of 15 kills and 14 digs. She also tallied two blocks and an ace in a strong all-around performance. Senior Madi Corey (Frankfort, Ill. - Lincoln-Way East) came just short of a triple double, with nine kills, 18 assists, and nine digs.

Makris added six kills, while Porada notched 18 assists. 

Sophomore Faith Washko (Springfield, Ill. - Sacred Heart-Griffin) finished with 12 digs.

As an offense, the Titans put together a .305 hitting percentage compared to Millikin's .084 clip as IWU totaled 42 kills to MU's 25. The Green and White also held advantages in blocks (6-4), assists (42-24), and digs (60-49).

The Green and White will host the CCIW Tournament Championship match against No. 2 Carthage Saturday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. inside of the Shirk Center.