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Women’s Volleyball Makes Trek to WashU

Titans to take on Bears in top-15 showing

10/20/2025 12:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The sixth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team will make the trip to St. Louis, Mo., for a date with No. 13 Washington University in St. Louis Tuesday, Oct. 21. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at The Athletic Complex, and will be streamed behind a paywall on FloSports.

Illinois Wesleyan (18-2) most recently swept University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Saturday, Oct. 18, to conclude a 2-1 showing at the Blugold Alumni Weekend Invitational. The last contest of the weekend saw senior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) lead the offense with 19 kills on an efficient .295 showing. Freshman Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) totaled a team-high 24 assists, while senior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) led the defense with 23 digs. Impressive performances landed French and fellow senior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) all-tournament team honors.

The Green and White enters the matchup with the eighth-most kills per set in Division III with an average of 13.68. Leading the way is French with 276 kills on the season, an even average of four per set. The senior sits 31 kills off the program's all-time record, held by now-assistant coach Tyler White (nee Brown), who accumulated 1,777 in her career playing for the Titans from 2015-18. Sophomore Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) is second on the squad with 200 kills, averaging 2.90 per set. Tellor rounds out the top-three with 141 kills, an average of 2.04 per set with a hitting percentage north of .300. French also leads IWU from the service line with 51 aces on the season, as her average of 0.74 aces per set ranks 25th nationally. O'Brien is second with 40 aces, followed by 34 from Bardouniotis.

Orchestrating the Illinois Wesleyan offense, which ranks 11th in assists per set with an average of 12.46, is junior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) and O'Brien. Feeney holds the narrow lead in assists with 388, averaging 5.62 per set, while O'Brien has tallied 356, an average of 5.16 per set. The duo has been the masterminds behind an offense that is hitting .225 on the season.

On the defensive side, Boyd's 295 digs are the most by a Titan this season, with the senior averaging 4.58 per set. Bardouniotis follows with 222 digs, an average of 3.22 per set, and French's 205 digs is good for third. Making their net presence known, the middle hitter tandem of Tellor and junior Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) has punished opposing offenses all season. Tellor leads the team with 48 blocks, closely followed by 41 from Palmer. Junior Cailin Shannon (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) and freshman Carly Whitaker (Morton, Ill.-Morton) are tied for third on the team with 26 rejections apiece. The Green and White defense has limited its opponents to a .135 hitting percentage all season, including seven matches at sub-.100.

IWU and WashU (16-4) will meet for the 21st time, dating back to 1998. The Bears hold a commanding, 15-5, advantage in the series, and took the last meeting in four sets Oct. 31, 2024. Shannon led the Titan offense with 13 kills, while Feeney totaled a team-best 22 assists. Boyd led the defensive efforts with 18 digs. The Bears enter the match after falling in four sets to Case Western Reserve University Sunday, Oct. 12.

Per the University Athletic Association's streaming contract, the match will be livestreamed through FloSports, which requires a paid subscription to watch. To access the pay-per-view stream click here, while free live stats can be accessed here.

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