Women's Volleyball pre-match huddle against Coe Sept. 20, 2025

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Women’s Volleyball to Play Three Matches at UW-Eau Claire

Titans to participate in Blugold Alumni Weekend Invitational

10/16/2025 12:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 6 Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team will hit the road again, this time traveling to Eau Claire, Wis., to participate in the Blugold Alumni Weekend Invitational, hosted by seventh-ranked University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The Titans (16-1) will play three matches Friday-Saturday, Oct. 17-18, beginning with a top-10 clash with the Blugolds Friday night at 7 p.m. IWU will conclude the weekend, Saturday, with a 10 a.m. match against Cornell College and a 12 p.m. bout against University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Illinois Wesleyan enters the weekend off a crucial sweep over North Central College Wednesday night, Oct. 15, giving the Green and White full control of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin race, as it moved to 5-0 in league play. Leading a defensive battle, senior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) led the way with 20 digs, while fellow senior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) tied for the match-high with four blocks. Senior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) finished with 12 kills, doubling the amount of the Cardinals' top hitter, while also mixing in three aces and 11 digs.

French leads the IWU offense this season with 217 kills, as she is averaging 3.88 per set on a .245 clip. The senior is nearing the program's all-time kills record, standing just 90 away from now-assistant coach Tyler Brown's record of 1777. Sophomore Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) is second on the squad with 167 kills, sitting just shy of an average of three kills per set. Tellor rounds out the top-three with 110 on the season, doing so on an efficient .300 clip. French also leads the team in aces with 48, while her average of 0.85 per set ranks seventh in the nation, as she continues to establish herself as one of the best behind the service line in the country. Freshman Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) is second with 33 in her first season donning the Green and White. Bardouniotis' 27 aces is good for third on the team.

The setter duo of junior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) and O'Brien have orchestrated an offense that ranks eighth nationally in kills per set (13.59), while combining for an average of 12.25 assists per set, a mark that sits 19th nationally. Feeney sits at the top of the team with 314 assists, followed closely by O'Brien with 278.

Defensively, Boyd holds the team lead in digs with 245, averaging 4.71 per set. Bardouniotis is second with 181, followed by French with 155 digs on the season. With 39 blocks, Tellor leads the heavy net defense, followed by 35 stuffs from junior Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep). Junior Cailin Shannon (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) rounds out the top-three with 24 rejections.

IWU and UW-Eau Claire will meet for the 12th time Friday night, with the Blugolds holding an 8-3 edge in the series that began in 1997. The Green and White had the upperhand in the most recent matchup, winning in four sets Oct. 28, 2023. French paced the offense with 24 kills, while Jordan Pierce notched 41 assists in the contest. UWEC enters the weekend with an overall record of 20-2, most recently sweeping UW-River Falls Wednesday night, Oct. 15.

The Titans will take on Cornell (11-7) for the seventh time, bringing in a 4-2 advantage all-time. IWU escaped with a five-set win at Cornell a season ago. French totaled team-highs of 17 kills and three aces, while Feeney tallied a team-best 24 assists. Then-freshman Alysa Lawton (Elmhurst, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) led the defensive efforts with 21 digs. The Rams last defeated Beloit in straight sets Wednesday night, Oct. 15.

Facing the Pointers for the 15th time since 1997, Illinois Wesleyan looks to avenge its loss from last season. The Titans fell in four sets to UW-Stevens Point, pushing the all-time record to 9-5 in favor of UWSP. French and Tellor led the offense with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, while French compiled seven aces. Feeney notched a team-best 21 assists and Boyd led the defense with 16 digs. UW-Stevens Point dipped to 13-9 on the year after falling in four sets to UW-Stout Wednesday, Oct. 15.

UW-Eau Claire will be live streaming the weekend, as well as providing live stats. All links, as well as information regarding the tournament, can be found by clicking here.

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