NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team began play at the Captains Classic on Friday, Sept. 3 with a pair of wins against the University of Lynchburg and No. 24 Susquehanna University. With the wins, the Titans upped their record to 3-0.

Illinois Wesleyan defeated Lynchburg in straight sets (27-25, 25-17, 25-22) in the opening contest of the Captains Classic. In the second match of the double dip, the Green and White came from behind to knock off No. 24 Susquehanna in four sets (18-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-15). 

Junior Grace Sanders (Bloomington, Ill. - Bloomington) led the offensive attack for the Titans notching 11 kills. Seniors Jessica McCall (Wayne, Ill. - Wheaton St. Francis) and Courtney McAuliffe (Lemont, Ill. - Lemont) had productive afternoons with nine and eight kills, respectively. McAuliffe produced a team-best .429 hitting percentage. Senior Madi Corey (Frankfort, Ill. - Lincoln-Way East) had 24 assists in the contest while freshman Abby Erdman (Aurora, Ill. - Metea Valley) compiled 15 assists. 

As a team, IWU recorded 43 kills with a hitting percentage of .276. The Titans front row also recorded seven blocks.

Senior Amber Juarez (Bloomington, Ill. - Normal U High), Erdman, and sophomore Maddie Dryfhout (Orland Park, Ill. - Chicago Christain) all had double-digit dig performances. Juarez notched a team-high 18 digs, Erdman followed with 12, and Dryfhout generated 11. In total, Illinois Wesleyan tallied 59 digs.     

In the night cap, the team rallied from an opening set loss to win the following three sets. Spearheaded by Sanders and McAuliffe, the offense utilized a well-balanced attack that tested the River Hawks defense. Sanders used momentum from the opening match to produce similar results in the second bout of the day en route to a double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs. McAuliffe and junior Dana Kiszkowski (Schaumburg, Ill. - Schaumburg) added eight kills apiece as IWU held a 50-49 edge in the category.

Three Titans recorded double-digit dig performances, led by Sanders with 14 digs. Juarez finished with 13 and Makenna Jacoby (Shorewood, Ill. - Minooka Community) tallied 11. Overall, Illinois Wesleyan held a 71-64 lead in digs, while SU had a 9-1 advantage in blocks.

IWU will return to the court tomorrow, Sept. 4, for day two of the Captains Classic. The Titans will take on Clarkson and Christopher Newport at 10 a.m. ET and 2 p.m. ET, respectively. Live video for each match will be available by clicking here.