Women's Volleyball huddle vs. Juniata Nov. 1, 2025

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Women’s Volleyball Hosts Wheaton for CCIW Tournament Semifinal Match

First serve set for 7 p.m. inside Shirk Center

11/12/2025 2:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The top-seeded Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team hosts fourth-seed Wheaton College for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Semifinal contest Thursday, Nov. 13. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m. inside Shirk Center.

The Titans (24-2, 8-0 CCIW) enjoyed a bye in the opening round after clinching their second straight CCIW Regular Season Championship behind another undefeated conference regular season slate. It marks the first time in program history that IWU has won back-to-back titles. The team also rewrote program history, as the Green and White checked in at No. 3, the best ranking in history, in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll, announced by the organization Tuesday, Nov. 12.

Additionally, Illinois Wesleyan saw a few program-firsts occur with the announcement of All-CCIW awards Monday, Nov. 10. IWU led the league with seven All-CCIW honorees, the most in program history, and took home three specialty awards. Senior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) was crowned the CCIW Offensive Player of the Year for the third straight season, marking the first in conference history to earn a specialty award three times. French also became the first Titan women's volleyball player to be named a First Team All-CCIW honoree in all four seasons. Junior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) became the first Titan to earn the CCIW Setter of the Year honor, which began in 2023, as well as representing IWU on the first team. IWU's coaching staff earned the CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year honor to round out the specialty awards. Seniors Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) and Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant), junior Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep), and sophomore Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) were also First Team All-CCIW awardees, while freshman Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) landed Second Team All-CCIW status.

The Illinois Wesleyan offense enters Thursday averaging the second-most kills per set in the country (14.06), only trailing No. 1 East Texas Baptist (14.11). Leading the way is French with 363 kills, an average of 4.08 per set, the 26th-highest mark in Division III, and is doing so on an efficient .245 attack percentage. Bardouniotis sits second with 268 kills, an average of 3.01 per set. Tellor rounds out the top-three hitters with 184 kills, averaging 2.07 per set, on an impressive .318 clip. Generating a lot of offense from the service line, French also leads the team in aces with 67. Her 0.75 aces per set average this season ranks 14th nationally. O'Brien is second on the squad with 47, while Bardouniotis closely follows with 45 aces.

Orchestrating the Green and White offense, the duo of Feeney and O'Brien lead a team that sits sixth nationally in assists per set with an average of 12.75. Feeney sits at the top of the team with 514 assists, an average of 5.78 per set. O'Brien enters the match with 465 helpers, averaging 5.22 per set.

Defensively, Boyd leads the back row with 377 digs, as she is averaging 4.54 per set. Bardouniotis' 281 digs are good for second, followed closely by French with 278, as both are averaging north of three digs per set. Palmer and Tellor lead the front row, as both have accumulated 56 blocks this season. Junior Cailin Shannon's (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) 34 rejections rank third for the Titans. Illinois Wesleyan's defense has stifled its opponents to a .146 attack percentage on the year.

Illinois Wesleyan will meet Wheaton (22-9, 4-4 CCIW) on the court for the 46th time, with the series dating back to 1994. The Titans own a 34-11 advantage in the series, and are the winners of the last four matchups. IWU defeated the Thunder in straight sets Sept. 17. Bardouniotis led the offense with 12 kills, while Feeney totaled a team-best 17 assists. Tellor tallied three aces and a trio of blocks, and Boyd and French led the defense with nine digs apiece, limiting Wheaton to a sub-zero night. WC most recently upended fifth-seeded Carroll University in five sets in the CCIW Tournament Quarterfinal Tuesday night, Nov. 11.

First serve is set for 7 p.m. inside Shirk Center. The livestream can be found here, while live stats can be accessed by clicking here.

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