French Earns Third Straight AVCA All-American Honor

Junior cited on All-American Honorable Mention squad

11/27/2024 11:02:00 AM

AVCA Release

LEXINGTON, Ky. - For the third straight season, junior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) of the Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team earned American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American honors, announced by the organization Wednesday, Nov. 27. French was tabbed an All-American Honorable Mention after garnering Second Team and Third Team honors in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

French becomes the second player in program history to earn at least three All-American honors, joining now-assistant coach Tyler Brown. Brown was named Honorable Mention and AVCA Freshman of the Year in 2015 before earning First Team honors in 2016-18. It marks the fourth consecutive season IWU has had a player earn All-American honors, as Courtney McAuliffe was an All-American Honorable Mention in 2021.

After helping the Titans to a 24-10 season that saw the Green and White sweep the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin en route to the regular season and tournament championships, French recently finished her third season with the Titans in the NCAA Tournament Regional Championship. It marked just the second time IWU has made the Sweet 16, with the first appearance coming in 2018.

French paced the Illinois Wesleyan offense with 506 kills, an average of 4.05 per set, which ranks seventh and 27th across Division III, respectively. The Romeoville, Ill. native totaled 613.5 points during the 2024 campaign, the fourth-most nationally, while her average of 4.91 points per set sits 14th. French broke the program's single-season ace record that has stood since 1996, finishing with 89 on the season, the second-most aces across all NCAA divisions, averaging 0.71 per set. IWU's previous record stood at 83, set by LeAnn Genzel.

Along with her stellar offensive showing, French was a crucial part of the IWU defense. She ranked second on the squad in digs with 381, averaging 3.05 per set, and totaled the fourth-most blocks on the team, as she finished with 36 rejections.

Starting every match for the Green and White this season, and playing in all 125 sets, French finished with a double-double performance in 21 of 33 matches this season. The junior earned her third straight AVCA First Team All-Region 8 honor, as well as her third First Team All-CCIW accolade. Defending her crown, she was tabbed as the CCIW Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. French was named to four all-tournament teams this season. Highlighted by the NCAA Regional All-Tournament honor, French was also named to the Crafted Classic, Cornell Classic, and IWU Classic All-Tournament teams. Earning her ninth CCIW Hitter of the Week honor in her career this season Oct. 7, the junior broke the program's record for most conference weekly awards in a career, previously held by Brown.

French and the Titans look to build off of the Sweet 16 season in 2025, as Illinois Wesleyan will host the Division III National Championship. IWU returns 17 members of the 2024 squad.

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