BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - For the third straight season, the No. 2 Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team will play for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Championship, Saturday, Nov. 14, against third-seeded Elmhurst University. A busy day inside the Shirk Center includes the title match at 1 p.m., followed by the sixth iteration of the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational, hosted by the IWU men's basketball program later in the evening.

The top seed in the tournament, IWU (26-3), dominated the four-seed Millikin Wednesday, Nov. 12 in the CCIW Tournament Semifinal match to advance to Saturday's match. The Titans executed a strong attack with junior Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) pacing IWU in kills with 12. Freshman Josie Neukomm (Cissna Park, Ill.-Cissna Park) rose to the postseason pressure with eight kills at a .467 clip off the bench. Sophomore Carly Whitaker (Morton, Ill.-Morton) and senior Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-DePaul College Prep) contributed valiant efforts, hitting .444 and .353, respectively. Orchestrating the attack, sophomore Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) tallied 18 kills while senior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) handed out 15. Junior Alysa Lawton (Elmhurst, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) led the defense with 20 digs, her 12th 20+ dig performance of the season. 

The high-power balanced Titan attack sits fifth in the country in kills per set at 13.65 which has been set up by the second-best assists per set group in the nation (12.73). Bardouniotis has totalled a team-high 3.40 kills per set with Whitaker behind her at 2.40. Junior Juliana Valdez (Palos Heights, Ill.-Marist) and Whitaker are one-two in attack percentage at .293 and .289 apiece. Assisting in the attack, Feeney sits at 5.84 assists per set and 613 this season, her second straight year of over 600 helpers. O'Brien joined Feeney in the program's 1000 career assists club in the semifinal match against the Big Blue, and follows the elder statesman at 4.79 assists per set. 

The attack, paired with a strong defense, has been a successful combination for head coach Kim Nelson-Brown. Lawton's 581 digs this season ranks just outside the program's top-five in single season digs total and her 5.53 digs per set is second in its respective category. Valdez has helped the front line with 94 total blocks, 20 solos and 74 block assists, the most in a single season since Palmer rejected 96 in 2024. 

The Bluejays (18-11) fly into the Shirk Center with wings full of momentum on a four-match win streak. EU defeated North Central to end the regular season before topping the Cardinals in the CCIW Tournament Quarterfinal match to begin the week. Elmhurst then traveled to second-seed Carroll University Thursday, Nov. 12 for the semifinal match and handed the Pioneers their season-ending loss with a 3-1 win. The Bluejays ended the CCIW regular season with a 5-3 record, dropping their match to Illinois Wesleyan via a sweep Wednesday, Oct. 7 in Elmhurst. The Titans and Bluejays will meet for the eighth time in the CCIW Tournament with EU holding a 6-1 record over the eight matches. The last time the two met in the conference tournament was in 2003 and IWU knocked off EU in 1997 in the championship match for its lone postseason win over Elmhurst. The meeting in 1997 marked the program's first CCIW Championship Title. 

In the series, the Bluejays are 29-25 against the Titans since 1994 but IWU is 9-1 in the last 10 matchups. The last time the Titans fell to EU at the Shirk Center came 14 years ago in 2012. Earlier this season, the Green and White made quick work of Elmhurst with a 3-0 win in Bluejay territory. Bardouniotis smacked down 12 kills and senior Cailin Shannon (Bloomingdale, Ill.-Lake Park) joined her in double-digits with 12 at a .529 clip. The Titans hit .274 in early October and held EU to a sub .100 attack percentage at .099. Feeney led the way in assists, totaling a team-high 22 while Lawton secured 13 digs. 

Live stats and a live steam of the championship match can be found on iwusports.com. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online which can be located here. Adult general admission cost is $11, while seniors, youth (6-12) and Military are $6. Action from the Shirk Center is slated for 1 p.m. between the Bluejays and Titans.