McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team secured a significant victory against North Park University in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin match. The Titans won in straight sets, with scores of 25-17, 25-10, and 25-21. This win improves their season record to 10-5 and 3-0 in conference play, while North Park falls to 10-3 overall and 1-1 in league play.

Taylor French and Hannah Tellor led the Titans' offense. French recorded 14 kills with a .324 attack percentage, while Tellor had seven kills on a .538 clip without committing any attack errors. Freshman Alex Bardouniotis contributed nine kills and three aces. Sophia Feeney and Abby Erdman supported the offense with 17 and 16 assists, respectively.

On defense, Tellor led with five blocks. French, Morgan Harrington, and Eleanor Palmer each added two blocks. Kannyn Boyd topped the back row with 20 digs, followed by Bardouniotis with 13 digs. French also achieved her ninth double-double of the season with 11 digs.

The Titans dominated across all categories, achieving a .288 attack percentage compared to North Park's .045. They also led in blocks (7-2), assists (37-22), and digs (63-22).

After a slow start in the first set, IWU rallied from an early deficit to take control. Bardouniotis sparked the comeback with key plays that helped secure the first set at 25-17.

In the second set, Erdman surprised North Park's defense with strategic plays that helped build an early lead for IWU. Despite timeouts from North Park aimed at disrupting their momentum, IWU continued to extend their lead, winning the set comfortably at 25-10.

The third set was more competitive but remained under IWU's control as they maintained their lead throughout. Despite efforts from North Park to close the gap, strong performances from French and others ensured IWU clinched the final set at 25-21.

Illinois Wesleyan will remain at home for their next match against Millikin University on October 4th.