McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team, ranked sixth nationally, secured a decisive victory against No. 13 Washington University in St. Louis on Tuesday night. The Titans swept the Bears in straight sets, winning 26-24, 25-13, and 25-10 to improve their season record to 19-2. Washington University fell to 16-5.

Illinois Wesleyan led in most statistical categories during the match. The Titans recorded 42 kills compared to the Bears' 28, and had a significant 13-2 advantage in service aces. They also led in digs (44-40) and assists (39-27), while Washington University posted five blocks to the Titans' two. The Titans finished with a hitting percentage of .286, while the Bears hit .146.

Junior Eleanor Palmer contributed seven kills with a .600 hitting percentage, and freshman Carly Whitaker added six kills on ten attempts. Senior Taylor French and sophomore Alex Bardouniotis each achieved double-doubles; French tallied 10 kills, 10 digs, and led the team with seven aces, while Bardouniotis registered 10 kills and a team-high 11 digs.

Junior Sophia Feeney provided 19 assists, with freshman Lauren O'Brien adding 16.

The first set was closely contested, with the score tied at seven before Palmer's kill initiated a four-point run for Illinois Wesleyan. After several lead changes, Bardouniotis and French closed out the set with kills for a 26-24 win.

In the second set, Cailin Shannon's kill broke an early tie, and a combination of errors by Washington University and additional kills from Shannon, French, and Whitaker put the Titans ahead. French's ace extended the lead after a timeout, followed by blocks from Tellor, Whitaker, Bardouniotis, and Palmer. Illinois Wesleyan finished the set with a 25-13 victory.

During the third set, French's kill gave the Titans an early lead, and Tellor served four aces in an eight-point run that put Illinois Wesleyan ahead 11-2. The Titans maintained a double-digit lead for most of the set, with Bardouniotis closing out the match with consecutive kills for a 25-10 win.

Illinois Wesleyan will continue its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin schedule with a match against Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, on Friday, October 24.