McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team secured a straight-set victory over North Central College at the Shirk Center on Wednesday, October 15. With this win, Illinois Wesleyan now leads the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) standings, improving its record to 16-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play. North Central fell to 14-5 overall and 3-1 in the conference.

Senior Kannyn Boyd led the defensive effort for Illinois Wesleyan with 20 digs. Sophomore Alex Bardouniotis contributed 13 digs, while senior Taylor French added 11. Senior Hannah Tellor recorded four blocks, tying for the match high. Freshman Carly Whitaker had three blocks, and both French and junior Eleanor Palmer recorded two each. The Titans limited North Central to a .010 hitting percentage and held statistical advantages in both digs (54-42) and blocks (6-5).

On offense, French tallied 12 kills, the most in the match. Bardouniotis added nine kills, and Palmer had seven. All three hit .200 or better. From the service line, French and Bardouniotis each served three aces, while Tellor and freshman Lauren O'Brien had two each. The Titans outperformed North Central in aces, 11-5. O'Brien and junior Sophia Feeney shared setting duties, recording 16 and 14 assists, respectively.

Illinois Wesleyan overcame an early deficit in the first set, eventually winning 26-24 after a series of key plays, including a kill by Bardouniotis off a Feeney assist to secure set point.

Momentum stayed with Illinois Wesleyan in the second set as they used an 8-2 run to win 25-17. The Titans continued their dominance in the third set, starting with a 6-1 run and closing out the match 25-14 on French's 12th kill.

Following this victory, Illinois Wesleyan will play on the road at the Blugold Alumni Weekend Invitational hosted by No. 7 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on October 17-18. The Titans will face Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Friday night and play Cornell College and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Saturday.

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