Women's Volleyball team huddle against Juniata Nov. 1, 2025

ASHTIN ELDER PHOTO

Women’s Volleyball Hosts Carthage for CCIW Tournament Championship

First serve scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15

11/14/2025 12:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The two top teams in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament will face off in the championship match, as top-seeded Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball hosts second-seeded Carthage College for a Saturday night showdown Nov. 15. In a jam-packed weekend in Shirk Center, first serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., and will follow four basketball games.

The Titans (25-2), the third-ranked team nationally, punched their ticket to their second straight CCIW Tournament Championship after sweeping fourth-seeded Wheaton College Wednesday night, Nov. 13. Senior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) led the offense with 17 kills on a .371 showing. Junior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) posted a team-best 19 assists, while senior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) tallied a match-high 15 digs. Sophomore Hailey Rak (Lockport, Ill.-Lockport Township) made a statement in her first start of the season, as she stepped in and tallied a career-best six blocks to go along with five kills on a .500 clip.

On the season, French leads a powerfully-balanced offense with 380 kills, as the senior standout is averaging 4.13 kills per set on a .250 attack percentage. Sophomore Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) is second on the squad with 277 kills, an average of 3.01 per set. Senior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) rounds out the top three hitters with 188 kills on an efficient .317 hitting percentage. The trio lead a Titan team that ranks second nationally in kills per set with an average of 14.08, trailing only No. 1 East Texas Baptist's 14.11 mark. French also leads the team in aces with 68, followed by 47 from freshman Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic), and Bardouniotis with 45.

The setter duo of Feeney and O'Brien have orchestrated the IWU offense all season, combining to hold the sixth-highest assists per set average nationally (14.08). Feeney leads the way with 533 assists, an average of 5.79 per set, while O'Brien has 480 helpers, averaging 5.22 per set. The pair have put together a Green and White offense that is hitting .245 collectively.

On the defensive side, Boyd holds the team lead in digs with 392, an average of 4.56 per set. Bardouniotis is second with 292, closely followed by French's 285, as the two are averaging north of three digs per set each. Making her net presence known, Tellor has totaled a team-high 60 blocks on the season, an average of 0.65 per set. Junior Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) is second with 56 rejections, while junior Cailin Shannon (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) sits third with 37 stuffs. As a unit, IWU is limiting its opponents to a .145 attack percentage.

A historic series between the two squads, Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage will meet for the 55th time dating back to 1994. The Firebirds hold the upperhand in the series, 30-24, but the Titans have come out victorious in the last two matchups. Earlier this season, the Green and White picked up a four-set road win at Carthage Wednesday night, Oct. 8. French led the team with 16 kills and six aces, while Boyd put together a 26-dig performance. Feeney notched a team-high 28 assists, and Tellor finished with the team lead in blocks, having totaled four. The Firebirds downed third-seeded Millikin in the CCIW Tournament Semifinal Wednesday night, Nov. 13, to keep their season alive. The two teams will meet in the championship match for the sixth time. Carthage won the first three contests (1990, 1993, and 2006), while Illinois Wesleyan is the winner of the last two (2018 and 2021).

The Titans and Firebirds will cap off a busy day inside the Shirk Center with a 7:30 p.m. first serve. The title match will follow four basketball games as the IWU women's basketball team kicks off the morning with a 10 a.m. bout against Trinity (Texas). A full schedule of Saturday's events inside the Shirk Center can be found here.

Print Friendly Version