McLean County Times

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Eying its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team welcomes Wheaton College to the Shirk Center Wednesday night, Sept. 18. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Illinois Wesleyan (6-4) enters the contest off a five-set victory over 21st-ranked Cornell College Saturday, Sept. 14. Leading the way on offense was junior Taylor French with 17 kills, earning her all-tournament team honors. Fellow junior Hannah Tellor finished with 14 kills to tie her career-high on a .636 attack percentage, committing no attack errors in the contest. Sophomore Sophia Feeney and senior Abby Erdman orchestrated the offense, finishing with 24 and 23 assists, respectively. Freshman Alysa Lawton led the team with 21 digs, while sophomore Eleanor Palmer posted a career-high seven blocks.

Ten matches into the season, French leads the offense with 150 kills, averaging 4.05 per set, both of which are top-30 nationally. Her 180.5 points on the season rank 21st across Division III, and her 4.88 points per set is 15th. Tellor follows French with 76 kills, an average of 2.05 per set. Her .374 attack percentage ranks 36th nationally. Freshman Alex Bardouniotis closely follows Tellor with 73 kills to sit third on the team.

The Titans have seen a trio of setters guide the offense throughout the season. Feeney leads the squad with 143 assists, averaging 4.77 per set. Fifth-year Jordan Pierce is second with 119 assists, an average of 4.25 per set, while Erdman follows with 97 on the season. Erdman and Pierce enter Wednesday nearing the career milestone of 1000 assists each.

On defense, junior Kannyn Boyd leads in digs with 113, averaging 4.71 per set. French closely trails with 110 digs while Lawton sits third with an average of a team-best at digs per set at .72 per set Palmer leads net defense with total blocks at twenty-seven; five being solo stuffs Tellor's twenty-two rejections are good for second on squad while French places third at thirteen

IWU and Wheaton (8-2) will meet for their forty-fourth time since series began in nineteen ninety-four The Titans own record thirty-two eleven against Thunder having won last two meetings Squads met last October twenty-fifth two thousand twenty-three Illinois Wesleyan claimed victory four sets French double-double performance behind team-best twenty-four kills along twelve digs Pierce's thirty-two assists led Green White Palmer finished team-high three blocks Thunder winners last three contests most recently defeating Concordia University Chicago straight sets Saturday September fourteenth

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