BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 2 Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball swept through the opening round of the NCAA Tournament inside the Shirk Center, defeating Asbury University behind set scores of 25-18, 25-17, 25-14. With the win, IWU, the top seed in the Bloomington regional, improve to 27-2 on the season, and advance to the regional semifinal against fifth-seeded St. Olaf College. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21. Asbury, making its first NCAA Tournament appearances, finishes its historic season with a record of 22-8.

Leading a balanced offense, senior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) and sophomore Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) each posted a double-double performance. French tallied 11 kills and 11 digs, while Bardouniotis notched 10 kills to go along with 11 digs. Senior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) registered nine kills, committing zero attack errors behind a .529 clip. 

Junior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) and freshman Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) orchestrated a Green and White attack that hit .304. Feeney led the way with 19 assists, while O'Brien finished with 15. Feeney tied her career-high with a team-leading four aces. 

Illinois Wesleyan's defense dazzled, as the Titans held the Eagles to a .067 showing behind six blocks and some gritty digs. Tellor and freshman Carly Whitaker (Morton, Ill.-Morton) led the heavy net defense with four blocks apiece, followed by junior Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) with two. Senior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) registered a team-best 12 digs. 

The Green and White finished the contest with the edge in kills (40-25), aces (8-3), blocks (6-3), and assists (35-23), while each team accrued 48 digs.

The two teams traded points as Illinois Wesleyan took some time to settle in. French set up a Bardouniotis kill to the back corner to give IWU a 7-6 edge. The Titans' lead ticket up to two before the home team stretched it to three, 19-16, to force an Asbury timeout.

French unleashed a powerful kill out of the break and Tellor downed an O'Brien assist moments later for a 22-17 advantage. After Feeney aced the Eagles, Whitaker notched a kill to cue set point and the Titans dialed up their first block of the match. Tellor and Whitaker joined forces for a rejection at the net to secure the set, 25-18.

The Green and White came out hot in the second, scoring the first six points to bring about an AU timeout. Illinois Wesleyan doubled up the visitors with kills by Bardounitios and French before a Bardouniotis ace gave the Titans a 10-5 lead.

IWU upped its cushion to as many as six, 19-13, but AU scored three straight to pull within three, 19-16. French uncorked a kill out of a timeout and then put a ball down cross court to reclaim control, 22-17. Bardouniotis polished off the set with a tip over and in for a 25-17 victory to give Illinois Wesleyan a two sets to none lead.

The Green and White began the third set just as it did the second, scoring six consecutive points to take control, 6-0. The run featured two Tellor-Whitaker blocks along with a Whitaker kill. A kill from Tellor and an ace from French pushed the lead to seven, 8-1, as Asbury was forced to call a timeout.

Two gritty digs by French kept a rally alive as Whitaker's fifth kill of the match made it 9-2 in favor of the home team. The Titans continued to distance themselves as Feeney dropped a floating serve in for an ace to give Illinois Wesleyan a 10-point cushion, 18-8.

Following an Eagles sideout, the Titans expanded their lead back to double digits behind a French kill, using the tape to her advantage. The senior followed an AU miscue with an ace, pushing the advantage to 12. IWU coasted the rest of the way, as O'Brien polished off the match with an ace, locking in the final set with a score of 25-14.

Illinois Wesleyan will face St. Olaf at 7 p.m. for a spot in the regional championship. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m. inside Shirk Center Friday, Nov. 21.