Alex Bardouniotis hitting against North Park Oct. 2, 2024

Women’s Volleyball Welcomes No. 8 WashU for Halloween Match

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

10/30/2024 12:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After securing the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championship outright behind an undefeated record in league play, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team turns its attention to non-conference action for the remainder of the regular season. The Titans (19-6) welcome eighth-ranked Washington University in St. Louis to Shirk for a 7 p.m. Halloween contest Thursday night, Oct. 31.

Illinois Wesleyan most recently defeated Carroll University Tuesday night, Oct. 29, downing the Pioneers in four sets. Juniors Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) and Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) led the offense with 14 and nine kills, respectively. French added five aces. Sophomore Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) and fifth-year Jordan Pierce (Bonfield, Ill.-Herscher) orchestrated the balanced attack with 20 and 18 assists, respectively. Junior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) paced the defense with 25 digs, while French closely followed with 21.

French's 385 kills lead the team this season, as the junior is averaging 4.10 kills per set. Tellor is second with 202, utilizing a .356 attack percentage. Freshman Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) closely follows with 192 kills with an average of 2.82 per set. French also leads the offense in service aces with 65, followed by Bardouniotis with 42 and Feeney with 27.

The trio of Feeney, senior Abby Erdman (Aurora, Ill.-Metea Valley), and Pierce has been the mastermind behind the Titan offense this season. Feeney leads the group with 408 assists, an average of 5.16 per set, while Erdman is second on the squad with 297. Pierce follows with 245, and comes into Thursday needing just 13 assists to eclipse the 1000 career assists mark.

On the defensive end, Boyd paces the team with 398 digs, averaging 4.91 per set. French's 291 digs are good for second, followed by Bardouniotis with 186. The Titans have seen a heavy net defense, led by sophomore Eleanor Palmer's (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) 71 blocks, 14 by way of solo stuffs. Tellor is second with 65 rejections, and senior Morgan Harrington (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield East) sits third with 41 blocks.

Illinois Wesleyan will meet WashU (23-4) on the court for the 20th time with the series dating back to 1998. The Bears hold a 14-5 advantage in the series, and won the most recent meeting Oct. 14, 2023, taking the match in four sets. French had 19 kills and 10 digs, while Harrington totaled nine kills on a .304 clip. Pierce posted 21 assists to lead the Green and White, and then-sophomore Raegan Watts (Forsyth, Ill.-Maroa Forsyth) notched a team-high 17 digs. Then-freshman Paige Peterson (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) paced the net defense with five blocks. WashU enters having won its last 10 matches, and most recently defeated Carnegie Mellon University in five sets Sunday, Oct. 27.

The match will feature a costume contest, as well as a canned goods drive. A link to the live stream and livestats can be found by clicking here.

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