BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Eying its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team welcomes Wheaton College to the Shirk Center Wednesday night, Sept. 18. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. 

Illinois Wesleyan (6-4) enters the contest off a five-set thrilling victory over 21st-ranked Cornell College Saturday, Sept. 14. Leading the way on offense was junior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) with 17 kills, earning her all-tournament team honors. Fellow junior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) was the hot hitter for the Titans, as she finished with 14 kills to tie her career-high on a whopping .636 attack percentage, committing no attack errors in the contest. Sophomore Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) and senior Abby Erdman (Aurora, Ill.-Metea Valley) orchestrated the offense, finishing with 24 and 23 assists, respectively. Freshman Alysa Lawton (Elmhurst, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) led the team with 21 digs, while sophomore Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) posted a career-high seven blocks. 

Ten matches into the season, French paces the offense with 150 kills, averaging 4.05 per set, both of which sit top-30 nationally. Her 180.5 points on the season ranks 21st across Division III, and her 4.88 points per set is 15th. Tellor follows French with 76 kills, an average of 2.05 per set. Her .374 attack percentage ranks 36th across the nation. Freshman Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) closely follows Tellor with 73 kills to sit third on the team. 

The Titans have seen a trio of setters guide the offense throughout the season. Feeney leads the squad with 143 assists, averaging 4.77 per set. Fifth-year Jordan Pierce (Bonfield, Ill.-Herscher) is second with 119 assists, an average of 4.25 per set, while Erdman follows with 97 on the season. Erdman and Pierce enter Wednesday nearing the 1000 career assists mark, sitting at 987 and 861, respectively. 

On the defensive end, junior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) leads the Green and White in digs with 113, averaging 4.71 per set. French closely trails with 110. Lawton sits third with 85, averaging a team-best 4.72 per set. Palmer paces the net defense with 27 total blocks, five of which have come on solo stuffs. Tellor's 22 rejections are good for second on the squad, and French is third with 13. 

IWU and Wheaton (8-2) will meet for the 44th time, with the series dating back to 1994. The Titans own a 32-11 record against the Thunder, and have been the winner of the last two meetings. The two squads met last Oct. 25, 2023, with Illinois Wesleyan claiming the victory in four sets. French posted a double-double performance behind a team-best 24 kills along with 12 digs. Pierce's 32 assists led the Green and White, while Palmer finished with a team-high three blocks. The Thunder are the winners of their last three contests, most recently defeating Concordia University Chicago in straight sets Saturday, Sept. 14.