McLean County Times

Junior Taylor French from Illinois Wesleyan University has been named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association First Team All-Region 8 for the third consecutive year. French, hailing from Romeoville, Illinois, and attending Plainfield East, continues a tradition of excellence for her team, marking the fourth straight season an IWU player has earned this honor. In 2021, Courtney McAuliffe was the recipient.

French is now one of only three players in program history to earn at least three All-Region accolades. She joins Amy Rajala and Tyler Brown in this exclusive group. This achievement marks the 24th instance under head coach Kim Nelson-Brown that a player has received All-Region honors.

Four players from the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin were recognized on this list. Alongside French are Kailee Itzenhuiser from Millikin and North Central's Bailey Houlihan on the first team. Jenna Damon from Carthage received honorable mention.

French led her team to victory in both the CCIW Regular Season and Tournament Championships, securing an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament—the first since 2021. With 465 kills this season, she ranks 11th in Division III. As CCIW Offensive Player of the Year, she also ranks fifth nationally in points with 563, sixth in aces with 81, along with other notable statistics.

This season saw French reach significant milestones: achieving over 1000 career kills and digs—making her only the eighth player in IWU history to do so. Notable performances include setting personal bests with 23 kills against Edgewood on September 13 and accumulating seven aces twice during the season.

The Titans will face Franklin & Marshall College as they open their NCAA Tournament journey on Thursday, November 21 at Marietta College in Ohio at 4:30 p.m. ET.