Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative

Women’s Volleyball Heads to Indiana for Three-Match Weekend

Titans face DePauw before competing in Earlham Tournament

9/10/2026 2:00:00 PM

Bloomington, Ill. - After opening the season with a five-match homestand, the third-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team heads east, Friday-Saturday, Sept. 11-12. The Titans will stop in Greencastle, Ind. for a meeting against DePauw University at 6 p.m. ET Friday, before taking on Austin College and Centre College Saturday at the Dr. Bill Brandes Memorial Invitational hosted by Earlham College in Richmond, Ind.

IWU (5-0) hits the road for the first time since Friday, Oct. 24, 2025 when it swept Millikin University in Decatur. From that point on, the Titans played their final nine matches at home, hosting the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tournament along with an NCAA regional.

After the first week of play, Illinois Wesleyan's offense sits at 249 kills with a hitting percentage of .230. IWU has assisted 227 of its kills while tallying 43 aces. The defense has impressed in the early going, with 307 digs, led by CCIW Defensive Player of the Week Alysa Lawton's (Elmhurst, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) 105. The Titans have accumulated 36 blocks on the season with senior Eleanor Palmer (Chicago, Ill.-Depaul College Prep) collecting 21.

Reigning CCIW Offensive Player of the Week, junior Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) tops the team with 75 kills and 95 points. Classmate Graci Junis (Morton, Ill.-Morton) impressed all around in her first week as a Titan, collecting 47 kills, 50 points, and 51 digs. Senior setter Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) and sophomore setter Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) combined for 183 assists with Feeney garnering 101 and O'Brien attributing 82. Lawton, who made a strong case for American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player of the Week, contributed 29 assists and 11 service aces.

The Tigers (3-1) and Titans will battle at Neal Fieldhouse to begin the three-match weekend in a matchup that has been dominated by IWU. The Green and White have won nine of 11 matches between the teams, with its first coming in 1995. IWU came out victorious in the first six matches before dropping a four-set match in 2016. In their wins, the Titans have swept the Tigers four times and have gone the distance once. IWU returns to Greencastle for the second straight season after sweeping DU Sept. 10, 2025 to improve to 7-0. That night, Bardouniotis led the way with 11 kills with a block and an ace a piece. O'Brien cashed in a double-double with 17 assists and 11 digs.

The Green and White will take on the Kangaroos from Austin for the first time ever. Austin makes the trip north with a 6-0 stamp, taking all six games at home. The unbeaten record is the program's best start to the season since 2015. Sophomore Mia Johnson was named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week for her performance in the season's opening week.

Wrapping up the weekend, the Titans will take on Centre for the second all-time meeting. IWU dropped the lone match in four sets in 2024. Five Titans on the 2026 squad saw action against the Colonels that November day with Palmer, Feeney, and Bardouniotis having the biggest impacts. Palmer tallied six kills and two blocks, with Feeney collecting 22 assists, and Bardouniotis posting a team-high 12 digs.

The Titans and Tigers will get underway at 6 p.m. ET Friday, Sept. 11 at Neal Fieldhouse to begin the weekend. The Green and White will play two neutral site matches at Earlham College Saturday, Sept. 12, against AC at 12 p.m. ET before facing CC at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET. Live stats will be available throughout the weekend but a live stream will only be visible Friday at DePauw.

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