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Cailin Shannon and Eleanor Palmer on a block vs. Coe Sept. 20, 2025
ASHTIN ELDER PHOTO
3
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 14-1,3-0 CCIW
0
North Park NPU 15-3,2-1 CCIW
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
14-1,3-0 CCIW
3
Final
0
North Park NPU
15-3,2-1 CCIW
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 25 25 25 (3)
North Park NPU 18 17 17 (0)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Strong Offensive Showing Leads Women’s Volleyball to Sweep at NPU

Titans finish match hitting .385

CHICAGO - The eighth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team showed off its offensive depth en route to sweeping College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe North Park University on the road Wednesday night, Oct. 1. The Titans (14-1, 3-0 CCIW) hit .385 as a team with six players finishing with five-or-more kills, while limiting the Vikings (15-3, 2-1 CCIW) to a .115 showing. The Green and White stays perfect in conference play after winning with set scores of 25-18, 25-17, 25-17. 

Leading a balanced offense, senior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) and sophomore Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) tied for the team-high in kills with nine apiece, as each hit .500-or-better. Freshman Carly Whitaker (Morton, Ill.-Morton) followed with a career-best eight kills, while senior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) and junior Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) each tacked on six. Junior Cailin Shannon (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) rounded out the dominant offense with five kills.

Orchestrating the hot-hitting offense was IWU's go-to setting duo of junior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) and freshman Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic). Feeney led the team with 20 assists, while O'Brien closely trailed with 17 helpers. O'Brien continued her strong showing from behind the service line, as she paced the team with three aces. Bardouniotis added a pair to her stellar night. 

Senior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) headlined the backrow defense for the Green and White, finishing with a match-high 12 digs. Bardouniotis was second with 11, followed by eight digs from French. Palmer made her presence in her hometown known, as the Chicago native posted a team-high four blocks, while Shannon added a pair of rejections. 

As a team, the Titans walked away with leads in kills (46-25), assists (44-25), and digs (43-32), while each team notched eight aces. North Park took the slim advantage in blocks, 6-5.

All tied up at 13 in the opening set, O'Brien found  Bardouniotis and Palmer for big back-to-back kills, forcing NPU to call timeout. The Vikings fought back to make it 16-16, but once again the Titans pulled ahead, this time via a service error and a French kill. After North Park notched a sideout with a kill, the Green and White quickly recovered, beginning with another service error. Feeney caught the defense sleeping, as she dumped one over and in to make it 20-17, bringing up another NPU timeout.

IWU closed the door in the first set, taking the last four points behind aggressive serves from senior Raegan Watts (Forsyth, Ill.-Maroa-Forsyth). Feeney found Bardouniotis for a kill to begin the run, and Watts aced the Vikings on the following point. Palmer downed a ball sent over after NPU mishandled Watts' serve, and Bardouniotis buried another dish from Feeney to cue set point. An attack error locked in the first set for the visitors, 25-18. 

Illinois Wesleyan remained in control to begin the second set, starting off with an ace from Feeney. North Park committed an error on the next point, bringing up an early timeout. The break did little to stop the Titans, who distanced themselves with five straight points to make it 12-4. The run began with a block from Palmer and Shannon, who then each added kills, and Bardouniotis added an ace in the mix. 

IWU commanded the set for the entire duration, as O'Brien notched back-to-back aces to bring up set point, then found Shannon for a kill to end it, 25-17. 

Trading points to begin the third, a block from Whitaker and Palmer launched a 6-1 run for the Titans. O'Brien followed with an ace, and NPU committed another attack error before getting a sideout. French quickly got the Green and White the ball back with a kill, sending Bardouniotis to the line for an ace. A Palmer kill was followed by another Vikings miscue, giving Illinois Wesleyan a 9-3 advantage. 

The Titans cruised the rest of the way, aided by another 6-1 run, and secured the sweep with a kill from Tellor, as the final set ended in a score of 25-17.

Illinois Wesleyan will enjoy the weekend off before hitting the road again, this time traveling to Carthage College for a CCIW clash Wednesday, Oct. 8. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m. at Tarble Arena.
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