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Women's Volleyball 2024 CCIW Tournament Champions
Kodiak Creative
2
Millikin MIL-U 29-5,6-2 CCIW
3
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 22-9,8-0 CCIW
Millikin MIL-U
29-5,6-2 CCIW
2
Final
3
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
22-9,8-0 CCIW
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Millikin MIL-U 24 25 23 25 13 (2)
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 26 23 25 10 15 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

CCIW Champions: Women’s Volleyball Wins Thriller Over No. 10 Millikin

NCAA Selection Show slated for Monday, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. ET

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - For the first time since 2021, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team claimed the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Championship, earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Titans (22-9) earned the eighth national tournament berth in program history as they defeated nationally-ranked No. 10 Millikin University in five sets with scores of 26-24, 23-25, 25-23, 10-25, and 15-13. 

The first set saw the Green and White go up 17-12, as junior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) crushed a dish from sophomore Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) to extend the lead, but Millikin battled back to take a 21-20 lead, forcing head coach Kim Nelson-Brown to call a timeout. The break worked in favor of the home team with fifth-year Jordan Pierce (Bonfield, Ill.-Herscher) finding freshman Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North), who tooled a block to tie the set. Bardouniotis followed with another kill, this time burying one on the line. 

Feeney fed junior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) for a kill to set up set point, 24-23, but Millikin staved off to force extra points in the opener. A MU service error pushed set point once again, and Bardouniotis ended the set for the Green and White with a kill, 26-24. 

The Big Blue took set two, but IWU bounced back to mount a comeback in the third. Down 8-1 to open, the Titans took seven of the last eight points to win set three, 25-23. Millikin took the fourth, 25-10, to force a fifth and final set. 

IWU took an early, 4-2, lead by way of a Tellor kill and a Big Blue miscue, but the visitors tied it back up at five apiece. Trading points, senior Abby Erdman (Aurora, Ill.-Metea Valley) fed French for a kill, helping the Titans be the first to the halfway point, as the Titans switched sides up 8-7. Back-to-back Big Blue points saw IWU down before a Bardouniotis kill equalized the score at nine each. 

With Millikin ahead, 12-11, Feeney found French for a kill, and sophomore Cailin Shannon (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) and Tellor teamed up for a block to give the Titans a slim, 13-12 advantage. MU got a sideout, but French buried a pass from Feeney to cue match point, and a Big Blue attack error ended the set, and the match, in favor of the home team, 15-13.

Three Titans finished with double-digit kills, led by Tellor and French. Tellor notched a team-high 17 kills on a .382 hitting percentage, with French adding 15. Bardouniotis added 12 kills.

Erdman and Feeney orchestrated the attack, finishing with 25 and 23 assists, respectively. 

Junior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) accrued a team-high 21 digs, while Bardouniotis, Feeney, and French rounded out double-doubles. Bardouniotis tallied 15 digs, while Feeney was credited with 13. French notched 10.

In all, IWU held slim advantages in kills (60-56) and assists (57-54). Millikin held a 10-9 edge in blocks, while both teams finished with eight aces. Illinois Wesleyan hit .141 for the match, but the Titans used an 89-78 lead in digs to hold off Millikin's .207 attack percentage.

Illinois Wesleyan will find out the site and opponent of the first round of the NCAA Tournament during Monday's selection show. The NCAA will unveil the full tournament field Monday, Nov. 18, at 1 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.
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