Sophia Feeney setting against Millikin Oct. 4, 2024

Kodiak Creative

Women’s Volleyball Eyes Battle with Vikings

Titans look to clinch share of CCIW Regular Season Championship

10/22/2024 2:05:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Returning to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play after a quick break, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team travels to Rock Island, Ill. for a battle with the Augustana College Vikings Wednesday night, Oct. 23. With a win, the Titans (15-6, 6-0 CCIW) would clinch at least a share of the CCIW Regular Season Championship as well as the top spot and hosting rights for next month's CCIW tournament. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Roy J. Carver Center.

Illinois Wesleyan enters the contest off a four-set loss to University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Friday night, Oct. 18. The loss snapped IWU's eight-game win streak, and marked its first loss in the month of October, as well as the first inside Shirk Center this season. Junior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) totaled 11 kills and seven aces, while junior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) finished with 10 kills. Sophomore Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) finished with a team-high 21 assists, and junior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) led the team with 16 digs.

French leads the Green and White offense with 323 kills, an average of 4.14 per set, both of which are the 19th-most across Division III. Her 391 points and 5.01 points per set average rank 12th and 10th in the nation, respectively. Tellor ranks 25th across the country and first in the CCIW in attack percentage, hitting .364 on the season. Tellor is second on the team in kills with 170, followed by freshman Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) with 152. French and Bardouniotis lead the Titans in aces, having recorded 56 and 34, respectively. Feeney sits third with 23 on the season.

A trio of Titans have put together the offense all season, led by Feeney with 365 assists, averaging 5.14 per set. Senior Abby Erdman (Aurora, Ill.-Metea Valley) is second with 263 helpers, while fifth-year Jordan Pierce (Bonfield, Ill.-Herscher) is third with 158.

Defensively, Boyd's 313 digs lead Illinois Wesleyan this season, as the junior is averaging 4.82 per set. French is second with 239, followed by Bardouniotis with 141. Sophomore Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) has made her net presence known, totaling a team-leading 56 blocks this season, 13 by way of solo stuffs. Tellor closely trails with 53 rejections, and senior Morgan Harrington (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield East) rounds out the top three blockers with 31.

IWU and Augie will meet for the 47th time, with the series dating back to 1994. Illinois Wesleyan holds a 27-19 advantage in the series, and is the winner of eight of the last nine meetings, including both matchups last season. The Green and White most recently defeated the Vikings in four sets in the CCIW Tournament Quarterfinals Nov. 7, 2023. The Titans were victorious behind monstrous performances from French and Pierce. French totaled a career-high 29 kills along with 19 digs, while Pierce posted a career-best 48 assists, as well as 13 digs to complete the double-double performance. Harrington added seven kills and four blocks for the Green and White. Augustana enters Wednesday's match bearing an overall record of 8-15, including a 1-3 mark in conference play. The Vikings most recently swept Webster University Thursday night, Oct. 17, snapping a seven-match losing skid.

Augie will be providing a live stream, which can be accessed by clicking here, as well as live stats that can be viewed here.

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