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Alex Bardouniotis hitting
Audrey Peterson
3
Winner WashU WU 20-3,6-1 UAA
2
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 24-2,8-0 CCIW
Winner
WashU WU
20-3,6-1 UAA
3
Final
2
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
24-2,8-0 CCIW
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
WashU WU 25 18 25 25 15 (3)
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 15 25 27 21 11 (2)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Women’s Volleyball Falls in Five-Set Thriller to No. 4 WashU

IWU’s win streak snapped at 17

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A battle between a pair of top-five teams unfolded just as one would imagine, as the No. 1 Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team and fourth-ranked WashU battled through five sets inside the Shirk Center Saturday, Oct. 31. The Titans (24-2) battled back from an opening set loss to win the next two sets, but the Bears (20-3) came away with the 3-2 victory (25-15, 18-25, 25-27, 25-21, 15-11). Juniors Alysa Lawton (Elmhurst, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) and Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) were voted to the All-IWU Tournament III Team.

The Green and White hit .172, but struggled to keep pace with a WashU attack that connected on a .263 clip. Bardouniotis and senior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) posted double-doubles in the setback, IWU's first since Sept. 12th, ending a 17-match win streak. Bardouniotis carried much of the offensive load, firing off 54 swings with 23 kills, the most by a Titan this season. She tacked on 18 digs, two blocks, and an ace. Feeney's effort came by way of 25 assists and 10 digs. 

Lawton tallied 19 digs with eight assists. Classmate Graci Junis (Morton, Ill.-Morton) contributed 10 digs, while sophomore Carly Whitaker (Morton, Ill.-Morton) narrowly missed out on a double-double with eight kills and nine digs. Junior Juliana Valdez (Palos Heights, Ill.-Maris) led the team with four blocks. 

Overall, WashU held the upper hand in kills (77-53), blocks (8-7), and digs (88-79). Each team finished with five aces.

The Bears came out firing after their sweep over UW-Eau Claire earlier in the day, downing the Titans decisively, 25-15, in the first set.

The second started with a back-and-forth as Bardouniotis tied the action at three early. The junior gave IWU the lead, 6-5, on an ace and freshman Josie Neukomm (Cissna Park, Ill.-Cissna Park) powered a kill to make it 9-6. O'Brien set up Palmer for a kill the next rally. Bardouniotis was back at it with a dig to Lawton who set it back to her to finish the point. Feeney then fed Valdez who lifted a kill past the front line to make it 14-11. 

The lead expanded to four, 16-12, when Whitaker connected on a swing that touched the backline. After a pair of attacking errors on the Bears, IWU led 18-12 and an O'Brien ace off the top of the net made it 19-12. Bardouniotis tacked on another kill and Palmer painted the sideline to make 21-13. Neukomm used the blockers to score another kill and Shannon slammed one home to take set two.

Illinois Wesleyan took what looked like a sure WashU point courtesy of a dig that bounced off the videoboard and came back to play for Valdez who started off the scoring. WashU responded with a 4-0 run but the Titans bounced back with kills from Bardouniotis and Whitaker to pull within one, 6-5. Palmer slipped to the outside and received a feed from O'Brien for a cross-court kill to tie it at seven. 

Bardouniotis took over with a nifty teardrop behind the 10-foot line and then tied it at 13 on a Feeney helper. The duo was back at it the next rally after a Whitaker dig, Feeney fed Bardouniotis for the lead, 14-13. 

The Bears rallied for two points and a lead into the media timeout, 15-14. Neukomm used the blockers' finger tips for a touch to give IWU an 18-17  advantage. Shannon then snuck one in on the back line for a 19-17 lead, but the Bears fought back to take a 21-20 edge.

The busy duo of Bardouniotis and Feeney paired up to tie it at 23 before Bardouniotis finished off with back-to-back kills to take it, 25-23.

WashU opened the fourth ahead but Whitaker's swing brought the Titans within one early. IWU took its first lead of the set as Shannon and Valdez walled up for a block to inch in front, 9-8. Feeney then stepped behind the line to serve and split the defense for an ace. 

Later in the set, with the Bears ahead, Bardouniotis and Valdez combined for a stuff to pull within two, 21-19, but WashU held off IWU to take the set and force a fifth.

The Bears' momentum rolled on, jumping off to a 4-0 lead in the final set. Bardouniotis brought Illinois Wesleyan back within two, but WashU's attack stayed fruitful. Its lead grew to 12-7 before a couple attack errors plagued the Bears. Ultimately, WashU reset after a timeout to spurn the Titans, 15-11, and take the match three sets to two.

The Green and White continues its dip into University Athletic Association play as it travels to Chicago Wednesday, Nov. 4, for a date with No. 17 University of Chicago. Action from the Ratner Athletic Center is set for 7 p.m.
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