McLean County Times

Sophomore Taylor French from Illinois Wesleyan University's women's volleyball team has been named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Hitter of the Week for the second consecutive time. The announcement was made by the league on Monday, October 23. This marks French's fourth weekly award this season and the sixth in her career.

During the week of October 15-21, French led her team to a 4-0 record, including a victory over Elmhurst University on Tuesday, October 17, followed by three wins in Maine over the weekend. Throughout these matches, she achieved a total of 89 kills with an average of 5.24 kills per set and a .243 attack percentage. Additionally, she contributed 65 digs at an average of 3.82 per set, along with ten blocks, seven aces, and four assists.

French's performance against Elmhurst was particularly notable as she broke the program's single-game points record with 33.5 points in that match. She recorded a career-high of 27 kills with a .368 attack percentage while also adding 17 digs for a double-double performance, alongside four aces and four blocks.

In another standout game against Bowdoin on Friday, October 20, French led her team to a five-set victory with 26 kills at a .229 clip, along with 20 digs and three blocks. Her strong performance continued against Colby College on Saturday, October 21, where she registered 25 kills at a .215 attack percentage and added 21 digs and three aces in their four-set win. She concluded her week with an impressive showing against Endicott College on Saturday as well, contributing 11 kills, seven digs, and three blocks in Illinois Wesleyan's sweep.

Looking ahead, French and her team will face Wheaton College in Wheaton on Wednesday, October 25. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at King Arena.