McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team achieved a significant victory against Bowdoin College in a closely contested match on Friday evening, October 20, 2023. The Titans began strong by winning the first two sets with scores of 25-14 and 25-18. However, Bowdoin responded by taking the next two sets, 25-19 and 25-21, forcing a decisive fifth set. In this final set, Illinois Wesleyan emerged victorious with a score of 24-22, marking the highest score they have achieved in a fifth set in their program's history.

Key performances from senior Lily Summers and sophomore Raegan Watts contributed to the Titans' success. Summers achieved a career-high with 14 kills and seven digs, while Watts led the match with 34 digs. Sophomore Taylor French was instrumental as well, nearly reaching her career-high with 26 kills on a .225 attacking percentage and completing a double-double with 20 digs. Senior Jordan Pierce matched her career-high by providing 44 assists along with contributing 13 digs.

Additional contributions came from junior Morgan Harrington who recorded 11 kills and senior Taylor Babec along with freshman Eleanor Palmer who each added six kills to the team's effort.

The opening set saw Illinois Wesleyan dominate early on with balanced offensive play. Key moments included an over-pass kill by Harrington and effective plays from Sophia Feeney and Pierce that put pressure on Bowdoin. Despite Bowdoin's efforts to recover in subsequent sets, including their third-set comeback fueled by strong blocking tactics, Illinois Wesleyan maintained resilience.

In the fourth set, IWU managed to overcome a nine-point deficit but ultimately lost as Bowdoin capitalized on momentum shifts post-timeout to force a fifth set.

During the final set, Illinois Wesleyan initially took charge but faced multiple tie scores before securing three consecutive points to win both the set at 24-22 and the overall match at 3-2.

Looking ahead, Illinois Wesleyan will continue their northeast tour at Colby College Tournament where they are scheduled to play against Colby and Endicott on October 21.