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Women’s Volleyball Returns to CCIW Play at Millikin

Titans travel to Decatur for Friday night contest

10/23/2025 1:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After enjoying some non-conference contests, the sixth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team returns its attention to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play, as the Titans (19-2, 5-0 CCIW) travel to Millikin University Friday, Oct. 24. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m. inside the Griswold Center.

Illinois Wesleyan enters the match off a sweep at No. 13 Washington University in St. Louis Tuesday night, Oct. 21. The Green and White dominated the Bears, led by a sound serving attack that totaled 13 aces. Senior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) tied her career-high with seven aces, followed by four from senior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township). Four Titans finished with at least six kills, as the offense hit an impressive .286 for the duration of the match, including an impressive .444 clip in the final set. French and sophomore Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) totaled 10 kills apiece, followed by seven from junior Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep), as she hit .600. Freshman Carly Whitaker (Morton, Ill.-Morton) rounded out the balanced offense with six kills on a .500 clip.

French leads IWU in kills with 286 on the season, an average of 3.97 per set, a mark that leads the conference and ranks 34th nationally. The senior enters the contest needing 22 kills to become the program's all-time leader, currently held by now-assistant coach Tyler White (nee Brown) with 1777 during her career from 2015-18. Bardouniotis ranks second on the squad with 210 kills, averaging 2.92 per set. Tellor rounds out the top-three with 145 kills, an average just north of two kills per set on a .301 attack percentage. The Green and White offense leads the CCIW in kills per set, and sits seventh nationally with an average of 13.69. French also leads the team in aces with 58, the 14th-most in Division III, while her average of 0.81 aces per set ranks 12th. Freshman Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) follows with 40 aces, and Bardouniotis closely trails with 36.

With a league-leading average of 12.49 assists per set, a mark that is good for 11th nationally, the Illinois Wesleyan attack has been orchestrated primarily by O'Brien and junior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community). Feeney sits first on the team with 407 assists, averaging 5.65 per set, while O'Brien closely follows with 372, an average of 5.17 per set.

Defensively, senior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) leads the crew with 303 digs, an average of 4.59 per set. Bardouniotis is second with 233 digs, followed by 215 from French. Tellor has totaled a team-best 49 blocks, including six solo stuffs. Palmer follows with 42, and also has registered six solo rejections. Whitaker rounds out the top three with 27 blocks.

With a history dating back to 1994, IWU looks to even the series at 30 wins apiece, as Millikin holds a slim 30-29 advantage against the Green and White. The Titans took both meetings last year, including an epic five-set battle with the then-No. 10 Big Blue to capture the CCIW Tournament Championship and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Tellor crushed 17 kills on a .392 clip to power the offense, while Palmer totaled seven blocks to lead the net defense. Boyd posted a team-best 21 blocks, and Abby Erdman and Feeney orchestrated the attack with 25 and 23 assists, respectively. MU most recently faced North Park University Wednesday night, Oct. 22, defeating the Vikings in five sets to move to 11-10 overall, and 4-1 in CCIW action.

Millikin will be providing a live stream, which can be found here, while live stats can be tracked by clicking here.

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