McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team, ranked sixth nationally, secured a significant win over No. 5 Juniata College on Saturday, November 1, at the Shirk Center during the IWU Tournament III. The Titans defeated the reigning national champions in four sets with scores of 25-23, 20-25, 25-20, and 25-13.

This victory follows Illinois Wesleyan's recent three-set win against third-ranked University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Juniata College, which had lost to Millikin and UWO earlier in the tournament, suffered its third consecutive defeat for the first time since September 2019.

Before the match began, Illinois Wesleyan honored its four seniors: Raegan Watts (Forsyth), Taylor French (Romeoville), Hannah Tellor (Metamora), and Kannyn Boyd (Mt. Pleasant). Sophomore Alex Bardouniotis led offensively with 15 kills on 27 attempts for a .519 hitting percentage, along with seven digs, two assists, and two aces. Taylor French recorded her second straight match with at least 20 kills and added three aces and seven digs.

French, Boyd, and Tellor were named to the IWU Tournament III All-Tournament Team for their performances throughout the weekend.

Additional contributions came from junior Eleanor Palmer and freshman Carly Whitaker who each posted eight kills; Whitaker achieved a .615 hitting percentage without any errors. Junior Sophia Feeney directed the offense with a team-high 25 assists while freshman Lauren O'Brien added 19 assists.

On defense, Kannyn Boyd tallied a match-best 23 digs. Junior Cailin Shannon and Palmer both registered five blocks each—a career high for Shannon—with several coming at key moments in the match.

The opening set was closely contested before Illinois Wesleyan pulled ahead late. In set two, Juniata evened the match after overcoming an early deficit by capitalizing on timely runs despite efforts from French and Tellor to keep IWU competitive.

Illinois Wesleyan regained momentum in set three following back-to-back kills by Tellor and Bardouniotis that established an advantage. The Titans extended their lead through effective blocking by Shannon and Palmer. Late kills from French and Tellor helped secure set point before Boyd assisted French on a kill to close out the set.

In set four, Illinois Wesleyan started strong with an early run highlighted by Palmer’s solo block. Despite Juniata narrowing the gap briefly, French responded with another kill to maintain control for IWU. A sequence featuring a defensive play from Boyd followed by a Bardouniotis kill further increased their lead as they closed out the match decisively.

Statistically, Illinois Wesleyan led in kills (63-52), hitting percentage (.293), service aces (10-2), assists (54-49), and digs (56-54). Juniata held a slight edge in blocks (8-6).

Illinois Wesleyan will conclude its regular season when it hosts Augustana College in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin action on Wednesday night, November 5 at 7 p.m.