BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A trip to Grand Rapids, Mich. marks the start of a highly-anticipated Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball season this weekend, Nov. 15-16, as the Titans trek to the Calvin-Hope Classic. The two-day tournament will be played at Van Noord Arena on the campus of Calvin University with Loras College rounding out the field. IWU will take on host Calvin Friday, Nov. 15, with a 5 p.m. ET tipoff before battling nationally-ranked Hope College Saturday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m. ET.
    The weekend marks the official start of the year for the Titans, who played a pair of exhibition games against Division I opposition. IWU is ranked 10th in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top-25 and is slotted 11th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association rankings. Meanwhile, both Calvin and Hope tipped off the season last weekend. Calvin is 1-2 overall and enters the weekend off a 71-35 defeat of Wilmington College, Nov. 12. Hope, which will play Loras Friday night, sits at 1-0 on the year. The Flying Dutch notched a 99-63 win over Wilmington, Nov. 8.
    Fans can catch a live stream of both of IWU's games, while live stats will also be available. Links on how to follow along can be found on the women's basketball schedule page of IWUsports.com.

THE 54TH YEAR OF IWU WOMEN'S HOOPS: Illinois Wesleyan, entering its 54th year of women's basketball, has compiled a 730-506 overall record. IWU's .591 all-time win percentage includes a 348-203 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark.

PRESEASON PRAISE: Lauren Huber was recognized as part of the D3hoops.com Preseason All-American teams announced Thursday, Oct. 31. Huber, a senior captain, was named to the D3hoops.com Preseason All-American Fourth Team.
    A First Team All-CCIW standout for the third straight season, Huber paced the Titans with 15.6 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per contest. She posted an efficient field goal percentage of 51.2 percent, while converting 45.5 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. She tallied 50 assists, 32 steals, and six blocks in 24 games played.
    A College Sports Communicators Second Team Academic All-America honoree, Huber also reeled in WBCA All-America Honorable Mention, D3hoops.com First Team All-Region status, and was a finalist for the Josten's Trophy.

COLLIDING WITH CALVIN: Illinois Wesleyan and Calvin have met just two times previously, with the latest matchup coming Nov. 16, 2019 in DePere, Wis. IWU leads the all-time series, 2-0. The Titans most recently took down Calvin, 60-44, as the Green and White rode a first-quarter lead to the victory. Sydney Shanks paced the Titans with 16 points, while Kendall Sosa added a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double.
    The first-ever meeting between Calvin and IWU took place in Bloomington, Dec. 19, 2013. Friday night's clash will mark the Titans' first trip to Van Noord Arena.

FACING THE FLYING DUTCH: The Green and White trails in the all-time series with Hope, having dropped each of the previous three bouts. Illinois Wesleyan nearly pulled off a win over the Flying Dutch in DeVos Fieldhouse last season, but ultimately fell by a score of 80-73. Ava Bardic fed Lauren Huber for a layup to even the score at 70 all with 2:43 to go, but Hope closed out the game on a 10-3 run to take down the Titans. Huber finished with 27 points and 16 rebounds, while Mallory Powers (13), Ava Bardic (12), and Caite Knutson (11) also finished with double-digit points.

SPOOKED THE PANTHERS: Illinois Wesleyan gave Division I Eastern Illinois quite the scare Monday, Nov. 4, as the Titans nearly knocked off the Panthers in an exhibition game. The Titans led by as many as 14 in the game as IWU held a 12-point halftime lead, but the Panthers clawed back behind a big third quarter to clip IWU, 70-67.  Mallory Powers led the Titans with 18 points, with Lauren Huber and Ava Bardic contributing 13 poitns each.

LONG DISTANCE LOVE: The Titans hit 13 three-pointers against the Redbirds in an exhibition at Illinois State, Oct. 27. Senior Mallory Powers connected on six three-balls, while  Ava Bardic nailed three treys. Kate Palmer, Sawyer White, Lauren Huber, and Alyssa Epps hit one triple apiece. Ilinois Wesleyan's 13 three-pointers were 10 more than the Division I Redbirds.

DEATH, TAXES, & TURNOVERS: The Green and White has long been known for its disruptive defensive play and that was no different against the Division I Redbirds Sunday, Oct. 27, as IWU forced Illinois State into 19 turnovers. Illinois Wesleyan won the turnover battle, 19-11, while Sawyer White tallied a game-high six steals. Her six thefts were as many as the entire ISU team had in the game. Ava Bardic added three steals with Lauren Huber and Mallory Powers tacking on each apiece.
    The Titans followed that up by forcing Eastern Illinois into 20 turnovers, Nov. 4. The Green and White notched nine steals in the game and cashed in for a 21-17 lead in points off turnovers. Bardic paced IWU with four steals, while White and Powers swiped two apiece.

BALANCING THE BOX SCORE: Four Titans hit double figures in points against Illinois State, Oct. 27, led by Mallory Powers' 20-point showing. Ava Bardic and Lauren Huber tacked on 19 points each, while Kate Palmer added 13 points. A season ago, IWU saw seven different players lead the team in scoring - all seven of which are on this year's roster.

POLLING PLACE: Illinois Wesleyan garnered a 10th-place ranking in the D3hoops.com Top-25 Preseason Poll released Monday, Oct. 28. Illinois Wesleyan garnered 385 points as the Green and White earned its 129th all-time ranking by D3hoops.com.
    IWU is one of two College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin teams in the top-25, as Carroll sits at No. 21. Reigning Division III National Champion, NYU topped the poll with 24 of 25 first-place votes and 621 points. Wartburg ranked second with 562, while Scranton is third at 538. UW-Whitewater, which garnered the lone other first-place vote, ranks fourth with 499 points.
    The Titans are slotted 11th in the WBCA Preseason Poll announced Nov. 5.  Illinois Wesleyan is the lone CCIW program in the rankings, with Carroll in the receiving votes category.

EIGHT IS GREAT: The Titans return its top eight players from a season ago in Sawyer White, Sara Balli, Lauren Huber, Laura Mahlum, Caite Knutson, Ava Bardic, Mallory Powers, and Kate Palmer. The group represents IWU's top-eight scorers and rebounders from a season ago. In fact, Illinois Wesleyan's 2024-25 roster includes 95.4 percent of its scoring from the 2023-24 campaign along with 93.6 percent of its rebounding.
    Included in the group are First Team All-CCIW picks in Huber and Powers as well as Second Team All-CCIW selections in Palmer and Bardic.

20-WIN SEASON: Illinois Wesleyan eclipsed 20 wins in a season for the 14th time in program history as the Titans finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 23-6 record. IWU's 23 wins were the most since the 2018-19 squad posted a 23-5 mark.

LOCK DOWN DEFENSE: The Green and White's ability to lock down opposing offenses was key to last season's success. IWU limited opponents to 1938 points, the 18th-fewest points allowed in Division III. The defensive production was aided by the Titans' ability to force turnovers, as Illinois Wesleyan was 16th across Division III with 22.79 turnovers forced per game. The Titans finished with a +8.00 turnover margin, the 12th-best nationally.

SHOOTERS SHOOT: Illinois Wesleyan scored 2369 points during the 2023-24 campagin, the sixth-highest total across Division III. The Titans' point total was the seventh-most in a single season in program history. Furthermore, IWU's 81.7 points per game were fifth-most in the nation.
    Illinois Wesleyan's high-scoring offense was powered by efficient shooting as the Green and White connected on 43.9 percent of its shots, a mark that was 18th-best nationally. From distance, IWU connected on 33.5 percent of its three-point tries (25th nationally).

SHE'LL TAKE THAT: Illinois Wesleyan's Sawyer White set the program's single-season steals record a season ago. The Downers Grove, Ill. native racked up 112 steals, breaking the previous record of 90 held by former Titan standout Rebekah Ehresman. White's 112 swipes are second-most in CCIW history, while she is one of three student-athletes to surpass 100+ steals in one season.
    Jennifer Falbe from Millikin holds the first and third place positions with 122 and 103 in separate seasons, while White's 112 this season are second-most across the CCIW in a single season. Her 112 thefts are the most since Falbe's 122 takeaways in the 1999-2000 season. Additionally, White's steals total was fifth-most in Division III, while her 3.86 average ranked eighth.

CAPTAINS CALL: Lauren Huber, Caite Knutson, Kate Palmer, and Mallory Powers will serve as the Titans' captains for the second straight season. Huber will lead IWU in the role for the third straight year, while Knutson, Palmer, and Powers garner the role for the second time.

CHASING 500: Veteran head coach Mia Smith enters the 2024-25 season three wins shy of 500 career wins. Her 497 career victories, all of which have come at the helm of the Titans, are the most of any active head coach in the CCIW and second-most in the league all-time. Additionally, her win total is 22nd-most across all of active Division III head coaches.
    Under the tutelage of Smith, IWU has won 10 CCIW Championships and made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Titans won the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship following a fourth-place finish in 2011.

A LONG WAY TRAVELED: Nearly 8000 miles from her hometown of Kowloon, Hong Kong, freshman Luigi Lam is the first international student-athlete for the women's basketball program  in Mia Smith's 27-year tenure.

CCIW PRESEASON POLL: Illinois Wesleyan was predicted to win the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin according to the annual preseason poll released Thursday, Oct. 24. IWU, which claimed a share of the regular season title a season ago, topped the poll with seven first-place votes and 63 points. Carroll garnered two first-place nods to rank second with 58 points. Millikin and North Central pulled in 42 points each to tie for third, while Augustana and Carthage tied for fifth with 30 points apiece. Elmhurst (28), Wheaton (22), and North Park (8) rounded out the poll in seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively.

SUPER STAFF: Head coach Mia Smith welcomed two new additions to her staff for the 2024-25 season in Kate Bullman and Sammi Matoush. Bullman comes to IWU by way of Illinois State, while Matoush comes to Bloomington after completing her career at WashU. Now Illinois Wesleyan assistant coaches, both Bullman and Matoush competed against the Titans during their playing days.
    A four-year letterwinner at ISU, Bullman played in all 124 games during her time as a Redbird. She was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Team selection and became the first player in program history to reject 50+ shots in three straight seasons. She graduated ranked second in Illinois State history with 191 career blocks and eighth with 711 career rebounds.
    Matoush was a four-year letterwinner at WashU, where she helped the Bears to an NCAA Tournament appearance as a senior. She scored 690 career points, averaging 10.1 points per game. A three-time Academic All-UAA honoree, Matoush added 305 career rebounds  114 assists.
    The duo joins Smith's staff which includes third-year assistant coach Brian Ehresman, who was tabbed 30 Under 30 by the WBCA last spring, as well as longtime assistant Chad Cusac.

ON THE HORIZON: The TItans will take a week off after returning from Michigan before hosting Edgewood College next Saturday, Nov. 23. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.