BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team needed just 70 minutes to take care of business against Carroll University in its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener Wednesday evening, Sept. 14. The Titans swept the Pioneers (4-5, 0-1 CCIW) in straight sets to improve to 6-2 on the year and 1-0 in league matches.

The Titans topped the Pioneers in nearly every statistical category. IWU held a 32 to 22 edge in kills, aided by a .176 to .009 lead in attacking percentage. The Green and White also finished with leads in digs (59-56), blocks (7-3), and aces (10-1). 

Freshman Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) paced the attack with 15 kills on a .324 hitting percentage, while also adding a team-high three aces. Senior Dana Kiszkowski (Schaumburg, Ill.-Schaumburg) put together a solid performance as well, tallying eight kills on a .333 clip. 

Sophomore Abby Erdman (Aurora, Ill.-Metea Valley) and freshman Katie Gund (Pewaukee, Wis.-Pewaukee) orchestrated the attack with 20 and 11 assists, respectively. 

Defensively, juniors Taylor Babec (Joliet, Ill.-Plainfield Central) and Morgan Harrington (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield East) registered five blocks apiece, while junior Faith Washko (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred Heart-Griffin) notched a team-best 24 digs. French and Erdman completed double-double efforts with 12 and 10 digs, respectively. 

Illinois Wesleyan shook off a slow start in the opening set, as Carroll jolted out to a 7-2 advantage. Out of a timeout, Kiszkowski hammered a kill to get the Green and White back on track. The timely kill was followed by a block by Babec and Harrington as well as a French kill, ultimately tying the set at 10 all. 

IWU's run forced a CU timeout, but the Pioneers' regrouping session did little to slow down the Titans. French tooled a block to give Illinois Wesleyan its first lead of the night, 11-10, before the Green and White racked up aces by junior Courtney Heffren (Eureka, Ill.-Eureka), freshman Reagan Watts (Forsyth, Ill.-Maroa Forsyth), French, and Washko. An ace by Washko completed the comeback, 25-14.

The Titans controlled the second set from start to finish, as the Green and White put away kills anytime the Pioneers tried to creep back in. Kiszkowski hammered a kill to end a long rally, pushing IWU ahead, 14-9. Senior Evy Makris (Orland Park, Ill.-Sandburg) later tooled a block to open up an eight-point lead as the Titans went up two sets to none with a 25-12 victory.

The third set was tight in the early goings, but Illinois Wesleyan pulled away. Gund's ace gave IWU a double-digit advantage, 22-12, before Carroll made a late comeback attempt. Leading 24-17, French put the match away with a hammer of a kill to complete the sweep.

The Titans head to the Chicago suburbs Friday, Sept. 16, for a 2:30 p.m. clash at Aurora University. A livestream of the match can be accessed here, and live stats can be accessed here.