McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team split its matches at the Coe Triangular, hosted by Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, September 13. The Titans (5-4) lost their first match in straight sets to the Kohawks with scores of 26-24, 29-27, and 25-16. They then secured a victory against Edgewood College in a five-set battle with set scores of 24-26, 25-21, 28-26, 18-25, and 15-12.

In the match against Coe College, Illinois Wesleyan led in kills (40-33) and assists (38-30), but Coe had the upper hand in aces (5-3) and blocks (9-7). Both teams finished with 60 digs each. Junior Taylor French recorded a match-best 12 kills for IWU.

"Junior Taylor French tallied a match-best 12 kills," said an IWU spokesperson. "Sophomore Sophia Feeney orchestrated the attack with a team-high 18 assists."

Freshman Alysa Lawton notched a career-high of 27 digs. Despite these efforts, the Kohawks managed to secure victory through strong performances during critical points of each set.

In their second match against Edgewood College, IWU held statistical advantages in most categories except blocks and hitting percentage. French led with a match-best of 23 kills.

"French paced the attack as one of three Titans to finish with double-digit kills," noted an observer from IWU's coaching staff.

Feeney achieved a double-double with her performance of 28 assists and 13 digs while splitting setting duties with Erdman who added another 14 assists. Defensively, Lawton again stood out with a career-high of 31 digs.

Illinois Wesleyan managed to come back after losing the first set in extra points by adjusting their strategies effectively throughout subsequent sets. A series of key plays including aces by Bardouniotis and Erdman helped IWU regain control during critical moments leading to their final win over Edgewood College.

The Titans will conclude their weekend play tomorrow at noon against Cornell College which is ranked twenty-first nationally.