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Eleanor Palmer hitting against Chicago Aug. 30, 2025
ASHTIN ELDER PHOTO
2
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 16-2,5-0 CCIW
3
Winner Wis.-Eau Claire UWEC 21-2,4-0 WIAC
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
16-2,5-0 CCIW
2
Final
3
Wis.-Eau Claire UWEC
21-2,4-0 WIAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 25 25 25 22 19 (2)
Wis.-Eau Claire UWEC 18 23 27 25 21 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Women’s Volleyball Falters in Five in Top-10 Matchup at UW-Eau Claire

Titans suffer reverse sweep in highly competitive contest

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - In a top-10 matchup that did not disappoint, the sixth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team fell in five sets to No. 7. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the Titans' opening match of the Blugold Alumni Weekend Invitational Friday night, Oct. 17. After taking the first two sets, 25-18, 25-23, IWU was unable to pull one more out, dropping the last three 27-25, 25-22, and 21-19. With the loss, Illinois Wesleyan dips to 16-2, while UW-Eau Claire improves to 21-2. 

Illinois Wesleyan stole momentum early in the second set, utilizing six points in eight rallies to its advantage. Junior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) fed sophomore Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North), who smashed one down for a kill to begin the run. Freshman Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) checked in and immediately made an impact, as she aced the Blugolds. UWEC notched two kills, but countered with a pair of miscues to keep the Green and White in control. After the second Blugolds sideout, O'Brien found junior Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep), who tipped one over and in for a kill to make it 11-8. The ensuing point saw senior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) win a joust at a net to make it a four-point cushion, causing the home team to call its first timeout. 

The break did little to stop the Titans, who took the next three points via a Tellor kill in between some UW-Eau Claire mishaps, bringing the score to 15-8. Bardouniotis sandwiched an IWU service error with two more kills put the first set win in view, 21-15, as the Blugolds burned their final timeout of the set. Continuing to dominate at the net, Tellor and freshman Carly Whitaker (Morton, Ill.-Morton) combined for another block to set up set point, and senior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) locked in the opening set win for the Titans with a kill, 25-18. 

A close set from start to finish, Illinois Wesleyan used back-to-back Bluegold errors to build a cushion late. Junior Cailin Shannon (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) and Palmer stuffed an attack on the next play, and O'Brien dished a set to Palmer for a kill to make it 21-17, timeout UWEC. 

The Blugolds found their way back into the set, as they cut the deficit to one, 22-21, forcing head coach Kim Nelson-Brown to call timeout. The break worked perfectly in disrupting the home team's momentum, as IWU benefited with a service error immediately after to make it a two-point lead. French countered an opposing kill with one of her own to push set point, but a service error stalled the Titans from taking the second set on the next point. Illinois Wesleyan stayed poised, as Feeney found Whitaker for a kill to secure set two, 25-23.

Trailing 23-21 in the third set, the Green and White rattled off three straight points to jump ahead. Feeney found French for a kill, who then went back to the service line and roped off an ace, causing UWEC to call a timeout. Senior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) sent a pass to Bardouniotis, who delivered one down hard for a kill to cue match point, but the Blugolds were not done yet, as they wiped off another match point with a kill. An attack error looked to give IWU momentum with another chance to close things out, but once again the home team responded. This time UWEC used three straight points to swing momentum and take the third set, 27-25. 

Down two at the halfway point in the fourth set, a short three-point run put Illinois Wesleyan back ahead, beginning with a French kill. Shannon and Palmer came up clutch with a block to tie the set at 13 apiece, and an ace from O'Brien made it 14-13 in favor of the visitors. Unable to find traction the rest of the set, Illinois Wesleyan would drop it 25-22 to see its two-set lead disappear as the match went to a winner-take-all.

In a fifth set for the ages, the finale was everything that was expected in this top-10 matchup. Palmer led the Titans from the start, as the junior notched three straight kills to give the Green and White an early 3-1 lead, and added another one to her career day to make it 4-2. A UWEC service error kicked off a 4-1 run for the Titans, as they took an 8-7 lead as the teams switched sides. Following an attack error, the Blugolds got a much-needed sideout, but not for long as O'Brien found French for a kill, and Palmer followed with a solo stuff to make it 11-8. 

A block from Whitaker and Tellor saw the Green and White push the tally to its third match point of the night, but again the home team did not back down. Bardouniotis kept hopes alive with a kill as the Titans fought off the Blugolds, and an attack error flipped the script for IWU's fourth match point. After a kill equalized the score at 17, Bardouniotis and Palmer teamed up for a block to make it 18-17, giving the Titans another chance to end it, but once again the Blugolds punched a kill through. Feeding the hot hand, O'Brien set Palmer for another kill to make it 19-18, but that would be the Titans' last chance to take the match, as UW-Eau Claire stole the last three to steal the final set, 21-19.

Four hitters finished with double-digit kills for Illinois Wesleyan, highlighted by Palmer's career-best 12 on a whopping .440 clip. It marks the first time the Chicago native has surpassed the double-digit kills mark in her career. French finished with a team-high 17 kills, while Bardouniotis and Tellor tallied 14 and 11, respectively, in a well-balanced attack.

Feeney and O'Brien orchestrated the IWU offense that hit an efficient .234 in the match. Feeney finished with 29 assists, while O'Brien notched 27, one shy of tying her career-best. The freshman led the team from the service line, as she added three aces to her stat line, while Tellor and French finished with a pair apiece. 

A heavy net defense was led by Palmer's five blocks, including two solo stuffs. Tellor totaled four rejections, while Whitaker finished with three. Boyd led the back row with 24 digs, followed by French's 18, and 15 from Bardouniotis, as the outside hitter duo each finished with a double-double performance. 

Illinois Wesleyan looks to bounce back tomorrow morning, as it takes on Cornell College at 10 a.m. The Titans will conclude their weekend in Eau Claire, Wis., with a 2 p.m. battle against University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
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