Hannah Tellor getting ready for a serve against Chicago Aug. 30, 2025

ASHTIN ELDER PHOTO

Women’s Volleyball Opens CCIW Play at Wheaton

First serve scheduled for 7 p.m. inside King Arena

9/15/2025 2:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After enjoying the weekend off, the No. 10 Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team will begin College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play at Wheaton College Wednesday night, Sept. 17. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside King Arena.

The reigning CCIW Regular Season and Tournament Champions, Illinois Wesleyan travels to the suburbs with an unblemished record of 7-0, and look to continue its best start in program history. The Titans most recently swept DePauw University on the road Wednesday, Sept. 10, notching their sixth straight sweep. IWU's offense was led by 11 kills from sophomore Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North), while junior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) tallied a team-high 19 assists. Senior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) and freshman Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) shared the team-lead in aces with two apiece. Bardouniotis completed a double-double performance behind a team-high 14 digs, and French and fellow senior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) led the Titan net defense with three blocks each.

French and Bardouniotis have tag teamed the IWU offense this season. With 87 kills, an average of 3.78 per set, French leads the team, doing so on a .236 attack percentage. Her 1,557 career kills sits her third in program history, and is 220 out from the program record. With 1,842.5 points to her name, French is also third for points all-time, and needs 113 to reach the top of the list. Bardouniotis is second on the team with kills this season with 68, averaging 2.96 per set. Rounding out the top three hitters, Tellor has totaled 45 kills this season, an average of 1.96 per set on an efficient .313 clip.

Continuing to split setting duties, Feeney and O'Brien have been the masterminds behind the Titan offense this season. Feeney holds the team-high with 123 assists, an average of 5.35 per set, closely followed by O'Brien with 122, an average of 5.30 per set. The freshman has quickly made her mark, as her 15 aces are the most by a Titan this season. French is second, sitting just behind with 14. Her 223 aces are the third-most by a Titan, and are 17 off the record. Bardouniotis is third with 12 aces on the season, with all three Titans averaging over 0.50 aces per set.

On the defensive side, senior Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.-Mt. Pleasant) leads the team in digs with 87, an average of 4.58 per set. Bardouniotis follows with 82 digs, averaging 3.57 per set, while French is third with 57 this season. Making her net presence known, Tellor holds the team-lead in blocks with 18, three of which have been solo stuffs. Junior Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) is second with 16 rejections, followed by freshman Carly Whitaker (Morton, Ill.-Morton) with 11.

A deep history, IWU holds a 33-11 all-time record against the Thunder (10-3), dating back to 1994. The Titans have been the winners of the last three matchups, and seven of the last eight meetings. Most recently, IWU swept WC inside Shirk Center Sept. 18, 2024. With a team attack percentage of .417, the Titans overpowered Wheaton in almost every statistical category. French led the hot-hitting offense with 18 kills on a whopping .615 clip, the seventh-best mark in program history, and added a team-high nine digs. Feeney posted a team-high 24 assists, while Palmer posted a team-best three blocks. Wheaton enters the midweek match after defeating Concordia University-Chicago in five sets to close out the Marilyn Scribner Invitational Saturday night, Sept. 13.

Wheaton will be providing a live stream, which can be found here, while live stats can be accessed by clicking here.

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