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Women’s Volleyball Set To Host IWU Tournament I

Titans host first of three home tournaments

9/3/2026 2:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The eighth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team is set to host the first of its three home tournaments this season Friday-Saturday, Sept. 4-5, inside the Shirk Center. The Green and White welcomes No. 24 Dubuque University, Hendrix College, No. 17 Hope College, and Monmouth College.

The five-team, two-court tournament features a slew of matches, with IWU slated for a pair of nationally ranked contests. The Titans will take on Hope Friday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m., before batting Hendrix and Dubuque at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m, respectively.

Illinois Wesleyan enters the weekend with a 2-0 record after sweeping its season-opening tri against Wartburg College and Aurora University Tuesday, Sept 1. IWU took the opening three sets against WC before going the distance against AU. Junior Alysa Lawton (Elmhurst, Ill.-IC Catholic Prep) highlighted the day with a career-high 41 digs against the Spartans for a Tuesday total of 58. Her 41 digs were tied for the most across Division III Tuesday. Classmate Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) carried the offensive load with 37 total kills, 16 against the Knights and 21 versus the Spartans. The setting duo of senior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) and sophomore Lauren O'Brien (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic) racked up 39 and 33 assists, respectively.

Hope (0-0) strolls into Bloomington, Ill. with an 8-2 all-time record against IWU. The Flying Dutch have had the Titans' number in the past, victorious in the last four matches. The Green and White last clipped HC Sept 15, 2017 at the Elmhurst Invitational, defeating the 18th-ranked Flying Dutch along with No. 1 Calvin University. A year ago, the Titans made the trip to Holland, Mich., falling in four sets. In the history of the matchup, Hope has visited Bloomington five times, while the two have played in Holland twice, and visited Elmhurst, Ill. and Grand Rapids, Mich. The match against Hope will serve as Special Olympic Night at the Shirk Center. Special Olympians and their parents will get in for free.

After the Flying Dutch, IWU will see Hendrix (0-0) for just the second time in program history. Hendrix swept the Titans in 2019 in its lone trip to the Shirk Center. The Warriors will face MC and DU before capping off their tournament against the Green and White.

In their final match of the tournament, head coach Kim Nelson-Brown will lead the Titans against Dubuque (1-0). IWU and DU are deadlocked at four wins each in the all-time series with the Spartans taking the most recent matchup in 2024. Illinois Wesleyan is 1-2 against Dubuque at home, sweeping the match in 1997. In all four Titan wins over the Spartans, IWU has swept them three times and won 3-1 in 2003. The Titans have never played the Spartans in Iowa but the two have met in Aurora, Ill., St. Louis, Mo., Elmhurst, Ill., and Oshkosh, Wis.

Illinois Wesleyan will face Hope on court one Friday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m to begin its tournament slate. For the full schedule and more information regarding the tournament, including links to the live stream and live stats, click here.

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