Carl Whitaker celebrating a point against Rose-Hulman Sept. 20, 2025

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Women’s Volleyball Returns to Shirk Center for Clash with Cardinals

Titans ranked sixth in newest AVCA Poll

10/14/2025 2:03:00 PM

AVCA Poll Release

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After a long stint of road contests, the sixth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team finally returns to the Shirk Center for a crucial College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin match against North Central College Wednesday night, Oct. 15. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m., and will see the Titans (15-1, 4-0 CCIW) don their pink jerseys in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

In the newest American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll, announced Oct. 14, Illinois Wesleyan checked in at No. 6, marking the best ranking in program history, as the Titans continue to climb up the poll. The top five teams saw no movement, as La Verne still stands at the top, followed by East Texas Baptist, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Whitewater, and Juniata. IWU is the lone representation of the CCIW in the poll.

The Titans most recently defeated Carthage College in four sets on the road Wednesday, Oct. 8. Senior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) led the team with 16 kills on a .262 clip, along with six aces and 13 digs, landing her CCIW Hitter of the Week honors. Junior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) earned her first CCIW Setter of the Week accolade of the season after finishing the contest with 28 assists and five digs.

One of the most efficient offenses in the nation, Illinois Wesleyan ranks seventh nationally in kills per set with an average of 13.60, while its team hitting percentage of .232 ranks 29th. French leads the charge with 205 kills, an average of 3.87 per set, while hitting .248 on the season. Sophomore Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) is second with 158 kills, averaging just shy of three kills per set. Senior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) rounds out the top-three with 104 kills, averaging 2.58 per set, while doing so on an impressive .315 clip.

French also leads the team with 45 aces, while her average of 0.85 per set tops the CCIW and ranks ninth amongst Division III. Freshman Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) ranks second on the squad with 31 aces, followed by Bardouniotis' 24. Feeney and O'Brien have been the primary masterminds behind the IWU offense all season, with Feeney leading the way with 300 assists, an average of 5.66 per set. O'Brien has totaled 262 in her first season donning the Green and White, averaging 4.94 per set. The Bloomington, Ill. duo leads a setter room that ranks 18th in the country in assists per set with an average of 12.26.

On the defensive end, senior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) leads the crew with 225 digs, an average of 4.59 per set. Bardouniotis sits second with 168 digs, averaging 3.17 per set, followed by French with 144. Making her net presence known, Tellor paces the team in blocks with 35, five of which have come on solo stuffs. Junior Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) closely follows with 33 rejections, while Cailin Shannon (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) rounds out the top-three with 23.

IWU will take on North Central (14-4, 3-0 CCIW) for the 41st time, with the series dating back to 1994. Illinois Wesleyan holds a 26-14 advantage in the series, including wins in the last three and nine of the last 10 matches. A season ago, the Green and White swept the Cardinals in the CCIW Tournament Semifinals to punch its ticket to the championship game, which the Titans went on to defeat Millikin in five sets to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The semifinal victory featured a dominant IWU offense that finished the contest hitting .312. French tallied a team-high 13 kills, followed by 11 from Bardouniotis, and Tellor's nine, as all three hit well north of .200. NCC most recently rolled past North Park, winning in straight sets Wednesday night, Oct. 8.

The match will be live streamed, which can be found here, while live stats can be tracked by clicking here.

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