BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team will begin its 2023 campaign on the road in Lexington, Ky., at the Transy Fall Invite, hosted by Transylvania University, Friday-Saturday, Sept. 1-2. 

The Titans will open the season against No. 7 Calvin University Friday at 5 p.m. ET. On the second day of the tournament, IWU will face No. 11 Berry College and No. 8 Transylvania Saturday, at 3 p.m. ET and 5:30 p.m. ET, respectively. 

Tickets will need to be purchased at the door for those attending. Adults will be $10, while children aged 5-17 will cost $6. To purchase tickets online, click here. 

Kim Nelson-Brown is entering her 28th year as the head coach of the program. In the Nelson-Brown era, the Titans have reached the NCAA Tournament six times, won eight College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championships, and compiled an overall record of 524-375. She returns 13 letterwinners from last season, and ushers in a strong incoming class.

All three Titans that earned All-CCIW honors return for the 2023 season. Coming off one of the strongest freshman campaigns in program history, in which she earned American Volleyball Coaches Association Third Team All-American status, along with CCIW Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-CCIW honors, sophomore Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) looks to lead the attack for the Green and White. In 2022, French led IWU with 394 kills and 72 service aces, was second on the team with 387 digs, and broke the single-season program record in service aces per set (0.66). 

Also a First Team All-CCIW selection, senior Faith Washko (Springfield, Ill.-Sacred Heart-Griffin) returns as the top libero. Washko led Illinois Wesleyan with 599 digs, the fourth-most in a single season, while her 5.35 digs per set in 2022 was the second-best average in program history. The Springfield, Ill. native enters Friday's contest with 954 digs in her career. Junior setter Abby Erdman (Aurora, Ill.-Metea Valley) had a breakthrough sophomore year, earning Second Team All-CCIW honors, after leading the Titans with 646 assists, an average of 5.77 per set. Erdman chipped in 226 digs, 25 kills, and 18 aces. Washko and Erdman were named the team's Co-Most Valuable Players for the 2022 campaign. 

The Titans will be led by captains Lily Summers (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield North), Maddie Dryfhout (Orland Park, Ill.-Chicago Christian), and Erdman. Summers and Dryfhout enter their second season serving as IWU's leaders. 

Links to live stats and streaming can be found on Transy's Tournament Central page, which can be found by clicking here. 

To stay up-to-date on the women's volleyball team be sure to follow the team on social media at @iwuwvolleyball on Instagram and Threads, @IWUVolleyball on Twitter, and IWU Titan Volleyball on Facebook.