McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team secured a 3-0 victory over Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, on Friday, October 24. With set scores of 26-24, 25-19, and 25-18, the Titans clinched at least a share of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Regular Season Championship and guaranteed home court advantage for the upcoming CCIW Tournament.

This win marks Illinois Wesleyan's 20th victory of the season, making it the second consecutive year the team has reached this milestone. It is also the 17th time under head coach Kim Nelson-Brown that the program has achieved 20 or more wins in a season. The Titans have now won back-to-back CCIW Regular Season Championships for the first time in program history.

The Titans' offense recorded 47 kills with a .277 attack percentage, while holding Millikin to 33 kills and a .184 percentage. Illinois Wesleyan also led in assists, with 39 compared to Millikin's 29. Millikin held slight advantages in digs (48-47) and service aces (5-3), while both teams had four blocks each.

Senior Taylor French tied for the match-high in kills with 11 and added 12 digs. Sophomore Alex Bardouniotis contributed 10 kills with a .364 hitting percentage and 10 digs. Juniors Eleanor Palmer and Hannah Tellor each finished with eight kills and attack percentages above .400. Junior Sophia Feeney led all players with 22 assists, while freshman Lauren O'Brien added 11 assists. Palmer also led the Titans in blocks with three.

The first set was closely contested, with both teams tied at 22 before Illinois Wesleyan edged ahead. French closed out the set with a kill off a set from senior Kannyn Boyd. In the second set, French helped spark a six-point run that gave IWU control. The Titans maintained their lead and won the set 25-19. In the third set, IWU started strong and built a seven-point lead. The Titans maintained their momentum and closed out the match with a 25-18 win in the final set.

Illinois Wesleyan will play its remaining regular season matches at home and will face Carroll University on Wednesday, October 29, at Shirk Center.