BLOOMINGTON, Ill. --- Inside a rocking Shirk Center, the No. 2 Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball team escaped with a five-set win over St. Olaf College Friday night, Nov. 21. The Titans (28-2) outlasted the Oles (27-9) behind set scores of 25-19, 28-26, 21-25, 25-14, and 15-8, advancing to the regional championship for the second straight season. IWU will face No. 19 Calvin University in a battle of the top two seeds in the regional championship at 5 p.m. tomorrow, Nov. 22.

Trailing 7-4 in the decisive set, Illinois Wesleyan mounted a gutsy comeback, beginning with a Cailin Shannon kill to spark a run. Fellow junior Eleanor Palmer solo stuffed the Oles on the next attack, and sophomore Alex Bardouniotis aced the visitors after an error to put the Green and White up one as the teams switched sides. 

The small break in action did not stop the Titans, as sophomore Lauren O'Brien fed senior Taylor French for a kill to make it a two-point cushion, 9-7, forcing St. Olaf to use its first timeout. The stoppage of play did little to cool French down, as she buried a dish from O'Brien to make it 10-7. St. Olaf got a much-needed sideout, but a service error kept momentum in IWU's favor. Senior Kannyn Boyd miraculously came up with a dig, and Bardouniotis sent one over to French for a kill, forcing the Oles to use their last timeout trailing 12-8. Senior Hannah Tellor punched one through the block after a miscue to cue match point, and Boyd sealed the victory with an ace, finalizing set five, 15-8.

French led the offensive attack with 20 kills on a .241 clip, while Bardouniotis and freshman Carly Whitaker also delivered double-digit performances. Whitaker smashed her career-high, as she finished with 11 kills on a .368 night, while Bardouniotis delivered 12. The sophomore led an IWU team that finished with 11 aces, as she totaled three. Four Titans finished with a pair. 

In a highly-touted defensive match, Boyd led the team with 24 digs, and Bardouniotis posted a double-double performance with 13. Palmer totaled a team-high four blocks in the contest. Junior Sophia Feeney came close to her career-high, as she finished with 30 assists, while freshman O'Brien added 22. 

All tied at 15 in the opening set, Bardouniotis followed a service error with back-to-back aces to make it 18-15. Boyd found French for two straight kills following an IWU error, upping the home team's cushion to four. The Oles trimmed the deficit to two, but a service error gave the Green and White the ball back, and Feeney made them pay with an ace. 

St. Olaf came back with a kill to get a sideout, and once again the Titans responded. Feeney found Tellor for a kill, and French fired off an ace to push set point. Tellor secured the opening set for the home team, as she tipped one over and in to finalize the first set, 25-19. 

With their backs against the wall in the second set, the Titans looked doomed staring at a 22-16 disadvantage. Whitaker tipped one right on the line, sending senior Raegan Watts to check in to serve. The senior made the most of the opportunity, as Illinois Wesleyan took the next four points. Whitaker and Palmer teamed up after an attack error for a crucial block, and Palmer downed a mishandled ball to cut the gap to two as St. Olaf called timeout. Bardouniotis downed a set from Feeney to make it a one-point score, and the pair connected again following a service error to keep IWU alive. 

Facing set point down 24-22, Boyd found Bardouniotis for a kill, and the sophomore locked in at the line, as she aced the Oles to tie the score at 24. A bad set gave IWU set point, and the two teams traded points in front of an electric crowd. French delivered a kill to push IWU ahead, and the Oles sent the next point out of bounds to complete the comeback for the Titans, winning it 28-26. 

After dropping the next two sets, the Titans staved off the Oles to keep their historic season alive, reaching the regional championship for the second straight season, and only the third time in program history. 

Illinois Wesleyan will meet Calvin Saturday night, Nov. 22, inside the Shirk Center for a 5 p.m. contest with a regional championship on the line.