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BLOOMINGTON, IL - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team split on the final day of the IWU Tournament, falling to Concordia University Wisconsin (25-23, 16-25, 25-23, 14-25, 15-10) before taking down 15th-ranked University of Wisconsin Stevens Point (19-25, 27-25, 25-23, 12-25, 15-9). Both matches went the full length. Sophomore Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) earned All-Tournament honors for her performance this weekend. (Photo by Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative)
Kodiak Creative
3
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 7-8,3-1 CCIW
1
North Central (IL) NCC 11-5,2-2 CCIW
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
7-8,3-1 CCIW
3
Final
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North Central (IL) NCC
11-5,2-2 CCIW
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 25 25 21 29 (3)
North Central (IL) NCC 19 22 25 27 (1)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Women’s Volleyball Wins Wild One at North Central

Titans clip Cardinals in four sets

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team outlasted North Central College Tuesday night, Oct. 3, at Gregory Arena in a thrilling College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin match. The Titans clipped the Cardinals (11-5, 2-2 CCIW) in four sets with scores of 25-19, 25-22, 21-25, and 29-27 to improve to 7-8 overall and 3-1 in league play.

Illinois Wesleyan cranked out 62 kills to North Central's 50, while also holding a .219 to .187 advantage in attacking percentage. Monster games from sophomore Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) and junior Morgan Harrington (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield East) powered the attack, with senior Jordan Pierce (Bonfield, Ill.-Herscher) serving as the primary distributor. French finished with a career-high 26 kills on a .279 clip, and completed a double-double with 16 digs. Harrington tallied 12 kills with a .280 attacking percentage, including several heady plays in the final set. Pierce's final stat line included a team-high 30 assists, nine digs, and five kills, two aces, as well as a block.

Defensively, the Green and White registered advantages in digs (79-65) and blocks (9-5). Senior Faith Washko (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred-Heart Griffin) corralled a match-best 25 digs along with seven assists, an ace, and a kill. Freshman Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) was credited with 11 digs, third-most on the team, and completed a double-double with 15 assists. 

Freshman Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) picked up four blocks, two solo rejections, with senior Taylor Babec (Joliet, Ill.-Plainfield Central) adding a trio of her own.

IWU used an overpowering attack to knock off the Cardinals, 25-19, in the opening set. The Green and White hit at a .243 clip, while NCC hit just .051. The Titans recorded 15 kills in the set, while also adding two blocks as the defense kept the Cardinals' attack from finding a groove.

In the second set, the Titans overcame a 12-7 deficit. A kill by Pierce started what ended up being a 4-0 IWU run that ultimately led to a timeout after a kill from Palmer. A Cardinal service error and a block from Babec leveled the set at 15 all, one of 10 ties in the set, before back-to-back NCC miscues pushed IWU ahead, 22-20. The Titans used an ace from French, kill from senior Lily Summers (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield North), and a Cardinal service error to take the set, 25-22, and charge ahead 2-0 in the set. 

North Central ran out to a 9-4 lead in the third, bringing about an IWU timeout. The Cardinals maintained control, increasing their lead to as many as 10, before sophomore Raegan Watts (Forsyth, Ill.-Maroa Forsyth) sparked an 8-0 run. With Watts serving, IWU forced not one, but two NCC timeouts, as the sophomore recorded three aces in the eight-point run that brought the Titans within one, 21-20. Despite the comeback, Illinois Wesleyan could not erase the deficit falling, 25-21, as the match extended to a fourth set.

The fourth set was the wildest one of the night, as North Central clawed its way back to tie things up at 18. A miraculous diving dig-turned kill from Washko reclaimed a one-point Titan lead and started a series of trading points by the two teams. After playing to a series of ties, Summers secured a kill off the Cardinal block to give IWU match point, 28-27, for the fifth time in the set. This time was different though, as Illinois Wesleyan capped off a wild rally with a Pierce kill that caught the Cardinals off guard to seal the 29-27 victory.

The Green and White continue its roadtrip with a quick stop in Decatur Friday night, Oct. 6, for a match against Millikin University. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Griswold Center.
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