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Cailin Shannon and Alex Bardouniotis celebrating against Millikin Oct. 4, 2024
Kodiak Creative
0
Carthage CARTH 10-6,3-1 CCIW
3
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 12-5,5-0 CCIW
Carthage CARTH
10-6,3-1 CCIW
0
Final
3
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
12-5,5-0 CCIW
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Carthage CARTH 19 21 23 (0)
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Titans Fend Off Firebirds in Straight Sets

IWU moves to 5-0 in league play

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - An offensive onslaught saw the Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team keep control of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin race Wednesday night, Oct. 9, as the Titans swept Carthage College by scores of 25-19, 25-21, and 25-23. Illinois Wesleyan improved to 5-0 in conference action and 12-5 overall with the victory, while Carthage slipped to 10-6 on the season and 3-1 in the CCIW.

The Green and White attack hit .309 for the match, led by junior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) who finished with a match-high 15 kills on a .387 clip. Sophomore Cailin Shannon (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) added eight kills on a .538 attacking percentage, while junior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) tallied seven kills on a .417 clip. Sophomore Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) added five kills on eight swings. 

Sophomore Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) and senior Abby Erdman (Aurora, Ill.-Metea Valley) orchestrated a strong, balanced attack. Feeney, the reigning CCIW Setter of the Week, totaled 18 assists to go along with nine digs, while Erdman contributed 16 helpers and six digs. 

Junior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) led all players with 11 digs. French and freshman Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) added seven apiece. Tellor notched three blocks to lead IWU, while senior Morgan Harrington (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield East) and French recorded two each.

Overall, the Titans held the upperhand in nearly every statistical category. Illinois Wesleyan tallied 45 kills to Carthage's 34, aided by a .309 to .247 lead in attacking percentage. The Green and White finished with a 40-27 advantage in assists and a 3-2 edge in aces. IWU also led in digs, 42-33, while each team collected four blocks.

The first set was tight early on, but three straight Carthage miscues allowed the Titans to grab a 10-7 advantage. French kept the run rolling with a kill to force a Firebirds timeout, but French notched another kill out of the pause in action to extend the lead to five, 12-7. 

The play of Harrington and Tellor helped IWU maintain control. The duo combined for a stuff and Harrington followed with a kill off the tape to force Carthage to burn its second timeout with the Titans in front, 16-11.

Carthage clawed within three late, but a Firebird error, ferocious French block, and a French kill bolstered the advantage to six, 22-16. Ultimately, a Carthage error lifted Illinois Wesleyan to a 25-19 set one victory.

The second set was much like the first as the Firebirds and Titans traded points before the Green and White pulled away late. Palmer punched a kill off the block to propel IWU ahead, 20-17, and a Tellor-Harrington rejection brought about a Carthage timeout with the Illinois Wesleyan lead standing at four, 22-18. Bardouniotis smashed an over-ball for a point to keep momentum with the home team, 23-18. Harrington's third kill of the night pushed the score to set point, where Bardouniotis followed with a kill of her own to register the second set win, 25-21.

Carthage took the first point of the third set, but Illinois Wesleyan quickly reclaimed control. A Firebird service error put the ball in the hands of French, who registered three straight aces to push the Titans ahead, 4-1, into a Firebird timeout.

The reset did little to slow down the Green and White as Bardouniotis pulverized a ball down inside the 10-foot line to make it 5-1. Illinois Wesleyan never trailed in the set, despite a comeback effort from Carthage midway through the set, but Palmer and Tellor came through with timely plays to keep IWU's lead intact.

Two crushing swings from Shannon put the Titans on the brink of a sweep, 24-21, but the Firebirds fought back within one, 24-23, amid an 8-1 run. IWU's seniors stepped up in the end as Erdman fed Harrington for the match-clinching kill.

Illinois Wesleyan takes a break from conference play Friday, Oct. 11, with a trip to R.A. Faganel Hall for matches against Wartburg College and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls on the campus of Elmhurst University. IWU takes on Wartburg at 2 p.m., before battling UWRF at 4:30 p.m.
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