Women's Volleyball bench celebrating against Juniata Nov. 1, 2025

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Women’s Volleyball Hosts Augustana for Regular Season Finale

Titans ranked fourth in latest AVCA Coaches Poll

11/4/2025 2:08:00 PM

AVCA Release

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The fourth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team will host Augustana College for its regular season finale Wednesday night, Nov. 5. First serve of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin clash is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Shirk Center.

The Titans (23-2, 7-0 CCIW) look to close out their second straight undefeated slate in conference play with a win. IWU enters the match off two consecutive top-five wins, downing No. 3 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and No. 5 Juniata College over the weekend. The latter match saw senior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) and sophomore Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) dominate the offensive attack, posting 21 and 15 kills, respectively. Junior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) led the team with 25 assists, while senior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) tallied a team-high 23 digs. Juniors Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) and Cailin Shannon (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) made their net presence known, as both posted five blocks.

The most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association Coaches Poll featured the Green and White at No. 4. After wins over UWO and Juniata, the Titans moved up two spots to reach the best ranking in program history. La Verne and East Texas Baptist remain in the top two spots, while UW-Eau Claire bumped up to No. 3. UW-Oshkosh dropped to five to round out the top five spots.

A historic week for Illinois Wesleyan, which also included the Titans clinching their second straight CCIW Regular Season Championship for the first time in program history, led to IWU raking in four weekly awards. The Titans swept the CCIW Player of the Week honors, as French was named hitter of the week, Feeney earned setter of the week, and Boyd closed out the sweep with defensive player of the week honors Monday, Nov. 3. Additionally, French garnered AVCA Division III National Player of the Week honors after putting on a performance for the Green and White. It is the third national weekly award of the senior's decorated career.

IWU's offense ranks second in the nation in kills per set with an average of 13.92. The Titans only trail East Texas Baptist University, which is averaging 14.04 per set. French's 348 kills lead the team, while her average of 4.05 kills per set lead the CCIW and rank 29th nationally. Bardouniotis is second on the squad with 256 kills, averaging 2.98 per set. Senior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) rounds out the top three hitters with 175 kills, an average of 2.03 per set on an efficient .310 clip. French also leads the team in aces with 66 on the season, as her average of 0.77 per set sits 14th in Division III. Bardouniotis has accumulated 43 aces during her sophomore season, good for second on the team. Freshman Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) closely follows with 42 aces, the third-most on the team.

The setter duo of Feeney and O'Brien have orchestrated an Illinois Wesleyan offense that ranks seventh in assists per set with an average of 12.63. Feeney sits at the top of the Titans with 494 assists, an average of 5.74 per set. O'Brien sits closely behind with 445 assists, as the freshman is averaging 5.17 per set.

On the defensive end, Boyd leads the crew with 367 digs, an average of 4.59 per set. Bardouniotis and French follow with 271 and 262 digs, respectively, as they are both averaging over three digs per set. The trio of Tellor, Palmer, and Shannon have made their net presence known all season. Tellor leads the team with 55 blocks, while Palmer is one behind with 54. Shannon sits third on the squad with 33 rejections after her career-best night against Juniata.

IWU and Augie (12-13, 3-4 CCIW) will meet for the 48th time dating back to 1994. The Titans hold a 28-19 advantage over the Vikings, and have come out victorious in nine of the last 10 meetings. Winners of the last three matchups, Illinois Wesleyan defeated AC in five sets on the road to clinch the CCIW Regular Season Championship a season ago, Oct. 23. French posted a match-high 22 kills, while Boyd and Bardouniotis led the back row defense with 16 digs apiece. Palmer registered four rejections in the contest, while Tellor led the Titans from the service line with three aces. The Vikings most recently escaped with a five-set win over North Park University Wednesday night, Oct. 29.

To watch the game live, click here, while live stats can be accessed by clicking here.

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