BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After finishing its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin schedule, the Illinois Wesleyan University will take a break from conference action and host its final home volleyball tournament. The IWU Tournament II will take place Friday-Saturday, Oct. 27-28, and will see Millikin University, University of Chicago, and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire make the trek to Bloomington, Ill.

The Titans (12-12) will face Chicago (7-13) at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, before battling UW-Eau Claire (12-11) Saturday, Oct. 28. Illinois Wesleyan enters the tournament off a four-set win over Wheaton College Wednesday, Oct. 25. Sophomore Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) led the match with 24 kills, while senior Jordan Pierce (Bonfield, Ill.-Herscher) orchestrated the majority of the offense, finishing with 32 assists. Senior Lily Summers (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield North) notched a career-best four aces. Freshman Olivia deGuzman (Wauwatosa, Wis.-Divine Savior Holy Angels) led the defense with a career-high 16 digs, while fellow freshman Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) posted a team-best three blocks.

One of the nation's top offensive threats, French leads the NCAA in points, having recorded 503 on the season. The sophomore ranks second in kills (444), and seventh in kills per set (4.58) and points per set (5.19). Summers sits in second on the team with 147 kills, while junior Morgan Harrington (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield East) rounds out the top-three with 133. 

Pierce and freshman Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) have been the masterminds behind the majority of the offense with 343 and 317 assists, respectively. French leads the team in service aces with 41, while senior Faith Washko's (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred Heart-Griffin) 26 are the second-most. 

Defensively, French leads the team with 330 digs, followed by Washko with 322, and sophomore Raegan Watts (Forsyth, Ill.-Maroa Forsyth) with 194. Palmer has made quite the impact at the net in her first collegiate season, leading the Green and White with 60 total blocks, 13 of which have been solo stuffs. Senior Taylor Babec's (Joliet, Ill.-Plainfield Central) 48 total blocks are good for second, while Harrington sits in third with 31. 

Friday's match against the Maroons will be the 19th meeting, with the series dating back to 1999. At an even 9-9 split, IWU looks to break its four-game losing skid against UC. The Titans fell in straight sets in the last contest, Sept. 6, 2022. Chicago most recently fell, 3-0, to Case Western Reserve Sunday, Oct. 22. 

IWU will face the Blugolds for the 11th time, with UWEC holding an 8-2 advantage in the series that began in 1997. The most recent contest came on Oct. 16, 2021, with the Titans falling in four on the road. 

A tournament central page, which includes information regarding each match, a link to the live stats and live stream, can be found by clicking here.