NAPERVILLE – Following an opening weekend that saw College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) women’s volleyball teams combine to play 30 matches, the league office has announced its first Student-Athlete of the Week award recipients on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Hitter: Taylor French, Illinois Wesleyan
Facing a trio of opponents ranked in the preseason AVCA Top 25, Illinois Wesleyan sophomore outside hitter Taylor French averaged 4.42 kills per set and attacked at a .268 clip for the Titans at the Transy Fall Invite in Lexington, Ky. Last season’s CCIW First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year narrowly missed a career best with 24 kills against #11 Berry and finished the weekend with a 14-kill, 14-dig double-double against #8 Transylvania.
 
Setter: Maddi Barickman, North Central
Barickman helped the Cardinals secure their first win over a nationally ranked opponent since 2017 by averaging 9.44 assists per game in NCC’s four-match trip to the WashU Bear Invite in St. Louis, Mo. The junior from Geneseo, Ill. had 24 assists or more in all four of the Cardinals’ matches, including 24 in a three-set sweep of #23 Otterbein on Saturday afternoon. Barickman, who also logged three double-doubles, helped NCC attack at a .210 clip for the weekend.
 
Defense: Aleesa Zebold, North Central
Zebold provided a steady presence on NCC’s back line in its 3-1 start, averaging 5.0 digs over 15 sets played. She finished the weekend with a .957 reception percentage and added 0.25 service aces per set.