Illinois Wesleyan University Women's Volleyball Team Hosts Carroll University in Crucial Conference Match

Strategic Insights -

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team, ranked No. 6 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll, is set to host Carroll University in a critical College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest on Wednesday, October 29. A win for the Titans would secure the CCIW Regular Season Championship outright, a historic feat that would mark the first time in program history for the team to win it two seasons in a row.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Titans (20-2, 6-0 CCIW) are seeking to win the CCIW Regular Season Championship outright for the first time in program history, having achieved a perfect 8-0 record in conference action last season.
  • Junior Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) led the team in assists with 22, and has 429 total assists this season, averaging 5.72 per set.
  • Senior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) and sophomore Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) recorded double-double performances in the team's sweep at Millikin University on Friday, October 24.
  • French leads the team in kills with 297, an average of 3.96, and is closing in on the program's all-time kills leader, needing only 11 more kills to surpass Tyler White's (nee Brown) mark of 1777 set in her playing days for the Titans from 2015-18.
  • The team ranks fifth nationally in kills per set, averaging 13.77, and leads the CCIW in digs per set, averaging 17.49.
  • The Titans have a 10-1 record in the series against Carroll University, which they have won the last five matchups with.

Statistics:

  • Kills per set average: 13.77 (5th nationally)
  • Digs per set average: 17.49 (CCIW leaders)
  • Assists per set average: 12.51 (combined by Sophia Feeney and Lauren O'Brien)
  • Kills: Taylor French (297), Alex Bardouniotis (220), Hannah Tellor (153)
  • Aces: Taylor French (59), Lauren O'Brien (40), Alex Bardouniotis (37)
  • Blocks: Hannah Tellor (50), Eleanor Palmer (45), Carly Whitaker (28)

Sources:

  • IWU Athletics News Release
  • American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll