BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A comeback victory highlighted day one of action for the Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team on day one of the Holiday Inn Express Classic Friday night, Sept. 24, inside the Shirk Center. The Titans (7-8, 1-1 CCIW) erased a two-set deficit en route to a five-set victory (28-30, 21-25, 25-18, 25-19, 18-16) against Mount St. Joseph University before falling to fifth-ranked Calvin University in straight sets (25-12, 25-16, 25-19). 

In the first match of the day, Illinois Wesleyan quickly saw MSJ grab a 2-0 lead in the match. The Lions built a 16-15 advantage in the third, before a resilient effort by the Titans led to eight straight points by the Green and White. The run, which was fueled by four kills from senior Courtney McAuliffe (Lemont, Ill. - Lemont), powered IWU to a 25-18 set win.

Trailing the match 2-1, IWU survived a late push by Mount St. Joseph in the fourth set. With the Lions in front by one, 17-16, once again, the Titans rattled off five straight points to reclaim control. The set ended with a powerful kill from sophomore Maddie Dryfhout (Orland Park, Ill. - Chicago Christain) as IWU took the fourth set, 25-19. The fifth and decisive set proved to be a nailbiter as it went into extra points. With the score tied at 16 all, McAuliffe registered back-to-back kills with assists from senior Madi Corey (Frankfort, Ill. - Lincoln-Way East) to secure the 18-16 victory in the fifth set and propel IWU to a 3-2 match win.

McAuliffe ended the match with a team-high 18 kills. Dryfhout was not far behind with 16 of her own, while junior Evy Makris (Orland Park, Ill. - Sandburg) notched nine kills in the victory. 

Corey tallied a double-double with 31 assists and 12 digs. Freshman Ava Porada (Frankfort, Ill. - Lincoln-Way East) accumulated 22 assists for the match. 

Sophomore Faith Washko (Springfield, Ill. - Sacred Heart-Griffin) led Wesleyan's defensive attack with a career-high 41 digs to go along with five assists. Washko's monster defensive effort ranks second in program history for digs in a match, as her 41 were the most by a Titan since Mary Rankin notched a school record 44 versus Augustana Sept. 22, 2015. Senior Jessica McCall (Wayne, Ill. - Wheaton St. Francis) tabbed 17 digs. 

As a team, IWU accumulated a .209 hitting percentage in comparison to the Lions .154 hitting percentage. The Green and White led MSJ in digs with a season-high 102 to the Lions' 85. The Titans also held the lead in kills (64-56) and assists (59-53). However, the Lions saw advantages in aces (11-8) and blocks (9-5).

In the nightcap, No. 7 Calvin defeated IWU in straight sets. McAuliffe led the offensive attack with nine kills. Makris and McCall added five and four kills, respectively. Corey and Porada each tallied 12 assists apiece. 

Washko contributed 11 digs, while McCall notched eight and junior Grace Sanders (Bloomington, Ill - Bloomington) produced five digs. 

The Knights potent attack compiled a .315 hitting percentage for the match. In comparison, the Titans finished with a .099 hitting percentage. Calvin accumulated a 49-26 kill advantage to go along with its 6-1 ace advantage. 

The Titans tangle with No. 7 Hope College Saturday, Sept. 25 to wrap up the weekend. First serve is set for 3 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.