Larisa Link serving against Simpson Oct. 26, 2024

Kodiak Creative

Women’s Volleyball Travels to Nationally-Ranked Chicago

First serve scheduled for 6 p.m. inside Ratner Athletic Center

11/5/2024 12:05:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Continuing its stretch of non-conference action, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team embarks on its final road contest of the regular season, as the Titans (19-7) travel to No. 21 University of Chicago for a 6 p.m. match Wednesday, Nov. 6, inside Ratner Athletic Center.

Illinois Wesleyan enters the contest off a four-set loss to No. 8 Washington University in St. Louis Thursday night, Oct. 31. Sophomore Cailin Shannon (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) led the offense with a career-high 13 kills on a .375 attack percentage. Fellow sophomore Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) finished with a team-high 22 assists, while junior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) posted a team-best 18 digs.

The Titans have seen junior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) spearhead the offense all season. French's 397 kills rank 14th nationally, while her 4.05 kills per set average sits 26th. The junior also ranks ninth in Division III in aces (67), seventh in points (478.5), and 16th in points per set (4.88). Junior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) is second on the team in kills with 205, followed closely by freshman Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) with 201. Bardouniotis is second on the squad in aces with 44, followed by Feeney's 29.

The Green and White has seen a trio of setters orchestrate the offense, with Feeney leading the squad with 430 assists, averaging 5.18 per set. Senior Abby Erdman (Aurora, Ill.-Metea Valley) is second with 297. Fifth-year Jordan Pierce (Bonfield, Ill.-Herscher) is third with 255, and enters the contest needing just three assists to eclipse the 1000 career assists mark.

Boyd leads the defense with 416 digs this season, averaging 4.89 per set. French follows with 303 digs, an average of 3.09 per set, and Bardouniotis is third with 193. Sophomore Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) has made her net presence known, having totaled 71 blocks entering Wednesday, including 14 solo stuffs. Also having recorded 14 solo blocks, Tellor is second with 67 rejections. Senior Morgan Harrington's (Plainfield, Ill.-Plainfield East) 41 blocks are good for third on the team.

Illinois Wesleyan will face Chicago (20-9) for the 20th time, with the series dating back to 1999. IWU holds a slim, 10-9, advantage in the series, and took the most recent meeting in straight sets Oct. 27, 2023. The match saw French lead all players with 15 kills and 18 digs to notch a double-double performance. Pierce posted a match-high 32 assists, and tacked on seven kills and four digs. The Maroons enter the match off a three-set loss to University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Saturday, Nov. 2.

Chicago will be providing a live steam and livestats of the contest. Both links can be found on the IWU women's volleyball schedule page on iwusports.com, or by clicking here.

Print Friendly Version