McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team faced a challenging match against the 21st-ranked University of Chicago, resulting in a loss on Wednesday night. The Titans, now with a record of 19-8, were defeated by the Maroons (21-9) in straight sets with scores of 25-20, 25-22, and 25-10.

Junior Taylor French led the Titans with a match-high of 14 kills and added 10 digs to her performance. Junior Kannyn Boyd contributed significantly with 11 digs. Fifth-year player Jordan Pierce reached a milestone by achieving her 1000th career assist during the match and finished with a team-high of 11 assists. Sophomore Sophia Feeney also supported the team's efforts with nine assists and six digs.

Illinois Wesleyan struggled offensively, ending the match with an attacking percentage of .000 compared to Chicago's .141. Despite leading in digs at 43-38, IWU was outperformed in blocks (12-5) and aces (10-1).

The Titans initially gained momentum in the first set when freshman Alex Bardouniotis helped secure a lead at 9-7. However, Chicago quickly leveled the score and took control from there, eventually winning the set.

In the second set, Illinois Wesleyan narrowed Chicago's lead to one point but could not maintain their advantage as Chicago closed out another win.

The third set saw IWU fall behind early without recovering, concluding their effort for the night.

Looking ahead, Illinois Wesleyan will host its final home tournament this Saturday at Shirk Center. They are scheduled to play against Centre College at 9 a.m., followed by Wisconsin Lutheran College at 1 p.m., marking Senior Day celebrations where they will honor their senior players before facing Wisconsin Lutheran.