BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – For the first time since 2021, the Illinois Wesleyan University women’s volleyball team claimed the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Championship, earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Titans (22-9) earned the eighth national tournament berth in program history as they defeated nationally-ranked No. 10 Millikin University in five sets with scores of 26-24, 23-25, 25-23, 10-25, and 15-13.
The first set saw the Green and White go up 17-12, as junior Taylor French (Romeoville, Ill.-Plainfield East) crushed a dish from sophomore Sophia Feeney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) to extend the lead, but Millikin battled back to take a 21-20 lead, forcing head coach Kim Nelson-Brown to call a timeout. The break worked in favor of the home team with fifth-year Jordan Pierce (Bonfield, Ill.-Herscher) finding freshman Alex Bardouniotis (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North), who tooled a block to tie the set. Bardouniotis followed with another kill, this time burying one on the line.
Feeney fed junior Hannah Tellor (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) for a kill to set up set point, 24-23, but Millikin staved off to force extra points in the opener. A MU service error pushed set point once again, and Bardouniotis ended the set for the Green and White with a kill, 26-24…