French, Feeney, Boyd - CCIW Players of the Week - Oct. 7, 2024

Trio of Titans Sweep CCIW Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week Awards

French, Feeney, and Boyd earn weekly accolade

10/7/2024 3:38:00 PM

CCIW Release

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - After a pivotal week for the Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team that saw the Titans register two top-15 wins over College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opponents, juniors Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) and Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant), and sophomore Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) swept the CCIW Player of the Week honors. French was named the hitter of the week, while Feeney earned setter of the week honors, and Boyd was the recipient of defensive weekly award. It marks the first time a program has swept the three spots since it expanded from two prior to the 2023 season.

French earns her first hitter of the week award of the season after helping lead the Titan offense to two wins. It's the ninth weekly accolade of the junior's career, the most times a Titan has earned the honor in program history. For the week, French recorded 33 kills, an average of 4.71 per set, on a .253 attack percentage, along with 24 digs, an average of 3.43 per set, five blocks, two aces, two assists, and a total of 37.5 points, averaging 5.36 points per set.

Starting the week off with a sweep over No. 15 North Park University Wednesday, Oct. 2, French posted a loaded stat line of 14 kills on a .324 clip, 11 digs, two blocks, and an ace, recording a total of 16 points. The junior followed the performance by playing a crucial part of the four-set victory over eighth-ranked Millikin University Friday night, Oct. 4, notching a match-high 19 kills to go along with 13 digs, three blocks, two assists, and an ace.

Earning the first weekly honor of her career, Feeney helped lead the offense, while also playing a strong role on defense. The setter was a crucial part in helping orchestrate the Titan offense that hit .216 for the week while limiting its opponents to a .119 attack percentage. For the week, Feeney finished with 38 assists, averaging 5.43 per set in the 6-2 rotation, along with 17 digs, an average of 2.43 per set.

Beginning the week with a sweep over NPU, Feeney posted 17 assists for the Titan squad that hit .288 against the nationally-ranked Vikings defense, and added four digs. The sophomore followed the performance by playing a crucial part of the four-set victory over the Big Blue, as she recorded a 21-assist, 13-dig double-double performance. She is the first IWU setter to receive the weekly honor since Abby Erdman did so Oct. 24, 2022.

Boyd was a key component of the Green and White defense, earning her second defensive player of the week award this season. For the week, Boyd recorded 49 digs, averaging a whopping seven digs per set, along with seven assists, and one ace. In Wednesday night's sweep over the Vikings, Boyd posted 20 digs and helped hold the Vikings offense to a .045 team attack percentage. The junior followed the performance by playing a crucial part of the win over MU, finishing with a match-high 29 digs along with four assists and an ace, and helping hold the hot-hitting Big Blue offense to a .166 attack percentage.

The wins bolstered IWU's CCIW record to a perfect 4-0, and the Titans remain 6-0 playing in the Shirk Center this season. Illinois Wesleyan hosts Carthage College for another key CCIW contest Wednesday night, Oct. 9. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Shirk Center.

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