AVCA Release

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 6 Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team will host Carroll University in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest Wednesday night, Oct. 29. A win would secure the CCIW Regular Season Championship outright for the Titans (20-2, 6-0 CCIW), marking the first time in program history that the Green and White would win it two seasons in a row. Action is set to begin inside Shirk Center at 7 p.m.

IWU remains locked at No. 6 on the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll, released Tuesday, Oct. 28, as there was no movement within the top-seven teams. La Verne remains No. 1, followed by East Texas Baptist, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Eau Claire, and Juniata. The Titans will host two of the top-five teams this weekend, as UWO and Juniata will come to town for the IWU Tournament III Friday-Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov. 1.

Illinois Wesleyan enters the midweek match off a sweep at Millikin University Friday night, Oct. 24. Junior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) orchestrated the majority of the offensive attack that hit .277 in the match, as she finished with a team-high 22 assists. Senior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) and sophomore Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) finished with double-double performances, as French posted 11 kills and 12 digs, while Bardouniotis tallied 10 in each category. Junior Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) posted three blocks in an effort to limit the Big Blue to a .184 showing.

French leads the team in kills with 297, an average of 3.96, and has done so on an efficient .242 attack percentage. The senior inches closer to history, as she enters the contest needing 11 kills to become the program's all-time kills leader, surpassing now-assistant coach Tyler White's (nee Brown) mark of 1777 set in her time playing for the Titans from 2015-18. Bardouniotis follows with 220 kills, an average of 2.93 per set, while senior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) rounds out the top three with 153. The trio leads an IWU team that ranks fifth nationally in kills per set, averaging 13.77. French also leads the team in aces with 59, while her average of 0.79 sits 13th in Division III. Freshman Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) ranks second with 40 aces, followed closely by Bardouniotis' 37. 

The setter duo of Feeney and O'Brien have been the masterminds behind the majority of the offense all season, as the pair has combined to produce the ninth-best assists per set average with a mark of 12.51. Feeney leads the tandem with 429 assists, an average of 5.72 per set, while O'Brien has accrued 383 helpers, averaging 5.11 in her freshman season. 

On the defensive side, senior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) leads IWU with 312 digs, as she is averaging 4.52 per set. Bardouniotis trails with 243, an average of 3.24, while French sits third with 227. The three power a defense that leads the CCIW in digs per set, averaging 17.49. At the net, Tellor has made her presence known all season, having racked up a team-high 50 blocks. Palmer closely follows with 45, and has recorded a team-best seven solo stuffs. Freshman Carly Whitaker (Morton, Ill.-Morton) is third with 28 rejections.

IWU will meet Carroll (15-12, 3-3 CCIW) on the court for the 11th time, with the limited series dating back to 1995. The Green and White hold a 10-1 command in the series and have won the last five matchups. A season ago, the Titans downed the Pioneers in four sets to earn the CCIW Regular Season Championship outright after going a perfect 8-0 in conference action. French led the attack with 14 kills and five aces, while Feeney dished out a team-high 20 assists. Boyd led the back row defense with 25 digs, and Palmer stood tall at the net, finishing with four blocks. CU comes to town off a sweep of Wheaton College Friday night, Oct. 24. 

A live stream can be found by clicking here, while live stats can be accessed here. The match will also serve as Camper Night, as the Titans encourage all IWU volleyball campers to wear their camp shirts in order to get them and one adult in for free.