McLean County Times

Taylor French, a sophomore from Romeoville, Illinois, has been named the American Volleyball Coaches Association/GameChanger Division III National Player of the Week. This announcement was made by the organization on Tuesday, October 31. French plays for the Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team.

This is French's first national weekly award and marks the first time a player from her team has received this accolade since Jess McCall in November 2021. Alongside McCall and Tyler Brown, French is one of only three Titans to earn this recognition since it began in 1993.

French's performance over the past week contributed significantly to her team's success. She led her team to three victories, extending their winning streak to seven matches. In 11 sets played during this period, she achieved 63 kills with a .296 attack percentage, averaging 5.73 kills per set. Additionally, she accumulated 42 digs at an average of 3.82 per set and recorded seven assists, five aces, and three blocks. Her performance resulted in double-doubles across all matches and helped her surpass the milestone of 1,000 career points in just 54 matches.

The week began with a match against Wheaton College on October 25 where French recorded 24 kills at a .246 rate along with 12 digs, two blocks, and two aces leading to a four-set win for her team. At the IWU Tournament II held on October 27-28, she continued her impressive form earning all-tournament team honors.

In Illinois Wesleyan's sweep against the University of Chicago on October 27, French achieved a double-double with 15 kills and 18 digs while hitting .257 during that match which saw her cross the milestone of reaching over 1,000 points in her career so far.

She concluded the week by delivering an outstanding performance against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where she tallied another set of impressive stats including scoring high on attacks alongside notable contributions defensively ensuring another victory for her team.

Looking ahead Taylor French along with Illinois Wesleyan Titans will be hosting Webster University on Wednesday November first at Shirk Center starting from seven pm onwards.