McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team is set to travel to Greencastle, Indiana, for a non-conference match against DePauw University on Wednesday, September 10. The Titans currently hold a 6-0 record this season, marking the best start in program history. The match will begin at 7 p.m. ET at Neal Fieldhouse.

Illinois Wesleyan is ranked 14th in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll after three consecutive sweeps at the Southwestern University Invitational led to a two-spot rise in the rankings.

In their most recent game, the Titans swept Southwestern and were led by senior Taylor French and sophomore Alex Bardouniotis with 10 kills each. Junior Sophia Feeney and freshman Lauren O'Brien shared setting duties, recording 16 and 15 assists respectively. O'Brien also had a match-high three aces. On defense, sophomore Alysa Lawton posted 19 digs while Bardouniotis contributed with 11 digs for a double-double performance. Junior Eleanor Palmer added three blocks.

Following their Texas trip, French, Palmer, and senior Hannah Tellor were named to the SU Invitational all-tournament team. French was selected as tournament MVP and received her tenth career College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Hitter of the Week honor on Monday, September 8. Lawton was named CCIW Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career.

French leads the offense with 77 kills over six matches (3.85 per set) and holds a .254 hitting percentage. She is third in program history with 1,547 career kills and is approaching records for both kills and points—currently held by assistant coach Tyler White (formerly Brown), who has 1,955.5 points.

Bardouniotis follows with 57 kills (2.85 per set), while Tellor has contributed 39 kills at a .323 hitting percentage.

O'Brien leads in assists with 105 (5.25 per set), just ahead of Feeney's 104 (5.20 per set). O'Brien also tops the team in aces with 13; French has recorded 12 aces; Bardouniotis has added another 11.

Defensively, senior Kannyn Boyd leads with 82 digs (5.13 per set). Bardouniotis is next with 68 digs (3.40 per set), followed by French’s total of 59 (2.95 per set). At the net, Tellor and Palmer have registered team highs in blocks with 15 and 14 respectively; freshman Carly Whitaker has added ten blocks.

Illinois Wesleyan leads its series against DePauw eight games to two since it began in 1995. In their last meeting on September 6, 2024, inside Shirk Center, IWU won in four sets behind French’s match-high of 22 kills and Boyd’s defensive effort of 29 digs.

DePauw enters Wednesday's contest after defeating Greenville University in four sets on Saturday.

A live stream of Wednesday's match will be available through DePauw University’s athletics website along with live statistics tracking.