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Women’s Volleyball Hosts Webster for Non-Conference Midweek Match

First serve scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Shirk Center

10/31/2023 1:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After a 2-0 weekend at home, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team will remain in the Shirk Center, as the Titans (14-12) host Webster University Wednesday, Nov. 1, for a non-conference midweek match. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Illinois Wesleyan enters the contest off a four-set victory over University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Saturday, Oct. 28. Sophomore Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) led the match with 24 kills on a whopping .391 attack percentage. Senior Jordan Pierce (Bonfield, Ill.-Herscher) posted 41 assists for the Green and White. Senior Lily Summers (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield North) collected her second career double-double performance, finishing with 11 kills and tying her career-high of 14 digs. Freshman Olivia deGuzman (Wauwatosa, Wis.-Divine Savior Holy Angels) shattered her career-best, as she finished with a team-high 21 digs.

French collected her third straight College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Hitter of the Week Monday, Oct. 30, marking the fifth weekly award of the season for the sophomore as she continues to lead the Titan offense. The Romeoville, Ill. native ranks third nationally in kills (483) and points (546), while her average of 5.25 points per set is the sixth-highest, and 4.64 kills per set is seventh-best across the nation. Summers, who is amid her best season for the Green and White, is second on the team with 162 kills, while junior Morgan Harrington's (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield East) 147 are the third-most.

Pierce leads the Titans with 416 assists, averaging 7.70 per set. Freshman Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) sits in second with 322, while junior Abby Erdman (Aurora, Ill.-Metea Valley) rounds out the top three with 185. French paces the offense with 44 aces on the season. Senior Faith Washko (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred Heart-Griffin) is second with 26, and deGuzman and senior Taylor Babec (Joliet, Ill.-Plainfield Central) each have 21.

Defensively, French leads IWU with 360 digs, while Washko's 322 are the second-most, and Feeney sits in third with 201. Freshman Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) leads the net defense with 63 total blocks on the season, 15 of which have been solo stuffs. Babec has 52 rejections for Illinois Wesleyan, coming on 11 solo and 41 assisted, while Harrington's 32 blocks are the third-most.

Wednesday's contest will be the eighth meeting all-time between the two squads, and the first since 2016. IWU holds a slim, 4-3, advantage in the series, including a win in the most recent battle, as the Titans defeated the Gorloks in straight sets Sept. 15, 2026. Now-assistant coach Tyler Brown helped lead the Green and White offense with 11 kills, tying for the match-high, while adding nine digs and three blocks defensively. Webster enters Wednesday off a three-set win over Principia College Saturday, Oct. 18, upping its record to 15-12 overall.

The match will be live streamed, which can be accessed by clicking here, and live stats can be found here.

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