Tony Gliwa Assistant Women's Volleyball Coach | Illinois College Athletics Website
Tony Gliwa Assistant Women's Volleyball Coach | Illinois College Athletics Website
The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team secured a victory against the University of Chicago on Friday, October 27, at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Illinois. The win marked the sixth consecutive victory for Illinois Wesleyan, bringing their season record to 13-12, while Chicago's record fell to 8-14.
The Titans displayed a strong performance with four players achieving seven or more kills. Senior Taylor Babec and Jordan Pierce, along with junior Morgan Harrington, each recorded seven kills. Pierce achieved an impressive .636 hitting percentage, and Harrington hit at a .353 clip. Sophomore Taylor French led the team with 15 kills on a .257 attacking percentage and surpassed 1000 career points during the match. Pierce also contributed significantly with 32 assists and four digs.
Taylor French was also pivotal defensively, leading with 18 digs for her 17th double-double of the season. Freshman Olivia deGuzman added 15 digs, and senior Lily Summers matched her career-high with 14 digs.
Babec led the team's blocking efforts with three blocks, while freshman Eleanor Palmer and Summers each contributed two blocks. Palmer also added five kills with a .364 hitting percentage.
Illinois Wesleyan outperformed Chicago in several areas, including a higher attacking percentage of .223 compared to Chicago's .110. The Titans finished with advantages in kills (46-28), digs (61-43), and aces (6-2). However, Chicago had more blocks than Illinois Wesleyan by one.
The match saw IWU rally from an early deficit in each set. In the first set, after trailing briefly at 9-7 due to a five-point run by Chicago, IWU regained control following key plays by deGuzman and Babec to secure a decisive 25-13 win.
In the second set, after falling behind initially by three points, French initiated IWU's comeback that culminated in winning the set 25-20 after a critical kill by Pierce.
The final set was closely contested as well but ended with Illinois Wesleyan clinching victory through crucial plays by Harrington and Babec. The final score of the third set was 25-22.
Illinois Wesleyan is scheduled to face the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire next on October 28 at 3 p.m.
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