Senior Day on Deck for Women’s Volleyball

Titans host Aurora for regular season finale Saturday, Nov. 4

11/3/2023 10:42:00 AM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Approaching the final game of the regular season, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team will host Aurora University Saturday, Nov. 4, with the match serving as senior day for the Titans. Action is set to begin at 1 p.m. inside Shirk Center.

Illinois Wesleyan (15-12) will honor its six seniors, Annika Altekruse (Naperville, Ill.-Metea Valley), Taylor Babec (Joliet, Ill.-Plainfield Central), Maddie Dryfhout (Orland Park, Ill.-Chicago Christian), Jordan Pierce (Bonfield, Ill.-Herscher), Lily Summers (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield North), and Faith Washko (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred Heart-Griffin) prior to the start of the match.

The Titans enter the contest off a sweep over Webster University Wednesday night, Nov. 1, earning their eighth straight victory. Sophomore Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) led the match with 16 kills on a whopping .406 attack percentage, while Summers put on a monstrous performance, registering nine kills on a .474 clip. Pierce orchestrated the majority of the offense, finishing with 20 assists. Freshman Olivia deGuzman (Wauwatosa, Wis.-Divine Savior Holy Angels) and French paced the defense with 12 and 11 digs, respectively.

The reigning American Volleyball Coaches Association/GameChanger National Player of the Week, French is amid a torrid sophomore campaign. She ranks second nationally in points (565) and kills (499), fifth in points per set (5.28), and seventh in kills per set (4.66). Summers is second on the team with 171 kills, while junior Morgan Harrington (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield East) sits in third with 149.

Pierce and freshman Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) have been the mastermind behind the majority of the Titan offense, having totaled 436 and 324 assists, respectively. With 47 aces to her name this season, French leads the Green and White, while Washko's 26 are the second-most for the squad.

On the defensive side, French's 371 digs are the most on the team, while Washko is second with 322, and Feeney rounds out the top-three with 203. Freshman Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) leads Illinois Wesleyan's net defense with 64 total blocks, 15 of which have been solo stuffs. Babec is second on the team with 52, while Harrington's 32 are third-most.

Saturday's contest will be the 16th meeting between the two teams, with the series dating back to 1994. The Titans, who hold a 10-5 advantage in the series, took the most recent meeting in four sets Sept. 16, 2022. French led the match with 13 kills, while Babec and Harrington each finished with 11. Junior Abby Erdman (Aurora, Ill.-Metea Valley) and sophomore Katie Gund (Pewaukee, Wis.-Pewaukee) orchestrated the offense with 26 and 22 assists, respectively. Washko led the defense with 27 digs, and French added 15.

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

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