McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team has secured the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Championship for the first time since 2021. This victory grants them an automatic entry into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Titans, with a season record of 22-9, defeated Millikin University, ranked tenth nationally, in a closely contested five-set match. The final scores were 26-24, 23-25, 25-23, 10-25, and 15-13.

During the first set, Illinois Wesleyan took an early lead at 17-12. Junior Taylor French contributed significantly with a key play assisted by sophomore Sophia Feeney. Despite Millikin's comeback to take a lead at 21-20, head coach Kim Nelson-Brown's timeout strategy paid off as Jordan Pierce and Alex Bardouniotis helped tie the set and ultimately win it.

In the second set, Millikin managed to level the score by taking that round. However, IWU responded in the third set after trailing initially but eventually winning it at 25-23. Millikin forced a decisive fifth set by dominating the fourth with a score of 25-10.

The final set saw IWU initially leading but faced resistance from Millikin who tied it up several times. Key plays from Abby Erdman and Cailin Shannon contributed to maintaining their slim advantage before finally clinching victory through another error by Millikin.

Three players from IWU recorded double-digit kills; Hannah Tellor led with 17 kills followed by Taylor French with 15 and Alex Bardouniotis adding another dozen. The team's attack was orchestrated effectively by Erdman and Feeney who provided significant assists throughout the match.

Kannyn Boyd achieved a team-high of 21 digs while Bardouniotis also recorded double-doubles along with Feeney and French contributing to their defensive efforts which played a crucial role in holding off Millikin's offense despite their higher attack percentage.

Overall statistics showed IWU had slight leads in kills (60-56) and assists (57-54). Although both teams were evenly matched in aces (8 each), Millikin edged out slightly on blocks (10-9). The Titans will learn about their next opponent during Monday’s NCAA selection show scheduled for November 18th at NCAA.com.