NAPERVILLE --- From Illinois Wesleyan’s record-breaking rise to #14 in the national poll to Wheaton and North Central piecing together unbeaten streaks, CCIW women’s volleyball programs are making early-season statements.
 
Several squads are rewriting their own history books while others notch milestone performances, setting the stage for a highly competitive fall across the conference.
 
Titans 14th in New National Rankings
Another unbeaten week of competition brought another climb in the national rankings for Illinois Wesleyan. The Titans are 14th – up two spots – in the new American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)/TARAFLEX poll released on Tuesday afternoon. The Titans, off to their best start in program history, are one of 13 ranked squads still without a loss this season.
 
Three CCIW squads were unranked but appeared on multiple ballots in the new poll. Millikin notched 78 points, second-most among unranked squads. Wheaton collected 16 points, while Carthage registered six points.
 
Juniata remained #1 with 77 of 86 first-place votes and 2,126 points. Wisconsin-Whitewater stayed at #2, while Wisconsin-Oshkosh moved up to #3. Johns Hopkins was fourth, followed by La Verne. Each of the top four teams received at least one first-place vote in the poll.
 
CCIW Announces Student-Athletes of the Week
A record-setting start for Illinois Wesleyan and an unbeaten weekend for North Central highlighted this week’s CCIW Women’s Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week selections. 
 
Taylor French (Hitter) and Alysa Lawton (Defensive) powered the Titans to their best start in program history, while Sarah Harvey (Setter) guided the Cardinals to an unbeaten mark at the Raider Invite in Milwaukee.
 
IWU Undefeated at 7-0, Best Start Ever
The Titans have roared to their best start in program history, opening the campaign with a 7-0 mark that vaulted IWU to #14 in Tuesday’s AVCA/TARAFLEX Division III poll. The Titans won their opener on Aug. 29 in five sets against Earlham, then ripped off six consecutive sweeps over Greenville, #20 Chicago, Texas Lutheran, Puget Sound, Southwestern and DePauw.
 
Reigning two-time CCIW Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year Taylor French started strong in the Aug. 29 opener against Earlham at the Shirk Center, racking up 28 kills in a five-set match, the most in program history for such a match and tied for seventh all-time. She also earned the SU Invitational Most Valuable Player award and leads the team in overall points and kills … Senior Kannyn Boyd reached a significant career milestone by eclipsing her 1,000th career dig against Earlham, a match where she also recorded a team-high 32 digs. She tacked on 22 digs against Chicago on Aug. 30 and 13 digs against Texas Lutheran on Sept. 5. She is the Titans’ overall team leader in digs.
 
Junior Sophia Feeney achieved her 1,000th career assist during the match against Puget Sound on Sept. 6 and also had a career-high with four service aces. Additionally, she registered a match-high 19 assists against DePauw on Wednesday … Freshman Lauren O'Brien had a strong debut with a 28-assist, 13-dig double-double against Earlham. She also delivered a team-high seven service aces against Texas Lutheran, which ties for the fifth-most in a three-set match in IWU history … Alex Bardouniotis already has multiple double-doubles in 2025, including 18 kills and 14 digs against Earlham and 11 kills and 14 digs against DePauw.
 
IWU will aim to extend its record-breaking start on Wednesday, Sept. 17 in the CCIW opener at Wheaton.
 
Wheaton Puts Up Historic Start, Now 8-1
Wheaton put together eight consecutive wins to begin the campaign, part of an 8-1 overall mark that landed 16 points for the Thunder in last Tuesday’s AVCA/TARAFLEX Division III poll. THe 8-0 start was the best in program history.
 
WC swept the Marian Invitational on opening weekend with victories over Benedictine, Wisconsin-La Crosse and the host Sabres. Four more wins followed at the Sugar Loaf Classic in Winona, Minn. all via a three-set sweep, as well as a Sept. 9 sweep of Rockford in the home opener versus Rockford at King Arena.
 
Senior Lacey Higgins has reached 2,000 career assists, becoming the 10th player in program history to reach the mark. She had six service aces in the 3-0 victory against Rockford on Tuesday, including four aces during a single 14-point run … Graduate student Ashton Major has helped drive the offense, leading the league in hitting percentage with at .433 over 18 sets. She attacked at a .750 clip with six kills against Buena Vista on Sept. 5 and also led Wheaton with 11 kills and a .450 attack percentage against Concordia Wisconsin on Wednesday
 
Jordan Benford, another senior, has also led the Thunder's offense, tallying 17 kills in the 3-1 victory against Wisconsin-La Crosse on Aug. 30. She also logged 14 kills with a .300 attack percentage against Buena Vista on Sept. 5 and put down 13 kills with a .370 attack percentage against Saint Mary's (Minn.) later that day … Senior Grace Autry anchored Wheaton's defense throughout the opening portion of the season, highlighted by a team-high 21 digs against Buena Vista. She also contributed 18 digs against Concordia Wisconsin and 13 digs against Rockford.
 
The Thunder will next host the Marilyn Scribner Invitational Friday and Saturday, playing a total of four matches.
 
Firebirds Take Five of Their First Six Contests
Carthage is 5-1 this season, including a perfect 4-0 mark in neutral-site matches. The Firebirds, the recipients of six votes in the new national rankings on Tuesday, most recently beat Lake Forest and Aurora at LFC’s tournament last Saturday.
 
Junior Kristina Manojlovic led Carthage with 80 total kills during the WashU Tournament on opening weekend and recorded 20 or more kills in three out of the four matches. She followed with 24 kills and a .514 hitting percentage against Aurora last Saturday. She leads the CCIW in both overall kills (104) and points (113) … Ava Dettwiler, a sophomore from La Crosse, Wis., stacked up 105 assists at the WashU Tournament. She also contributed offensively with 18 kills and 6 service aces during the Lake Forest Invitational games and is Carthage's overall leader in assists (139) with an average of 5.56 per set.
 
Senior Jenna Damon has led the defensive effort, tallying 72 digs over the WashU tournament weekend and 20 digs against Aurora. She leads Carthage in overall digs with 94 and 3.76 digs per set. … Newcomer Hailey Wierzgac tallied 16 total blocks across four games at WashU and put up seven more in the Lake Forest Invitational. She leads Carthage in overall blocks with 23, ranking second in the CCIW with an average of 0.96 blocks per set.
 
As a team, Carthage leads the CCIW in hitting percentage at .255. The Firebirds also rank first in the league in total blocks with 49.0.
 
The Carthage Invite at Tarble Arena is up next, including a Friday night matchup with 13th-ranked Wisconsin-Platteville at 7 p.m.
 
North Central: Sweeping Success, Dominant Defense
North Central owns a 6-2 mark and will take a five-match win streak into Friday’s triangular with Dominican and Rhodes at Gregory Arena. The Cardinals swept all four matches at the MSOE Tournament in Milwaukee last Friday and Saturday and hasn’t dropped a set since Aug. 30.
 
Senior and Wheeling, Ill. native Danni Moser has been a dual threat, leading the Cardinals with 14 kills and 15 digs in their sweep against Aurora on Tuesday. She also recorded 10 kills, five digs, three aces, and a block in the season opener against Eureka, and tallied 14 kills and 13 digs against Rose-Hulman on Aug. 30. Overall, she has been a top offensive player in the CCIW with 70 kills, averaging 3.04 per set, and 81.5 points (3.54 per set) … Sophomore Sarah Harvey has been a key distributor for the Cardinals, recording 41 assists against Rose-Hulman and 30 assists against Aurora, where her ace also sealed a set win. The CCIW current CCIW Setter of the Week has a total of 230 assists, averaging 10.00 per set, ranking her second in the CCIW among players with at least 5.00 assists per set.
 
Abby Buban, a junior outside hitter, notched a career-high 15 kills in the match against Rose-Hulman. She also had nine against Illinois College on Aug. 30 on Sept. 5 … Senior Aleesa Zebold has been a defensive anchor, racking up 17 digs against Benedictine, 16 more versus Ripon later that day and 15 digs against Illinois College during the opening weekend against Illinois College. Her overall 80 digs are good for an average of 3.48 per set.
 
The Cardinals have excelled defensively, leading the CCIW in limiting opponents to the lowest assists per set (8.00), kills per set (8.73) and blocks per set (1.00). They also hold opponents to the second-lowest hitting percentage (.088) in the league.
 
NPU’s Sopocy Hits 100 Wins; Strong Service Ignites Start
North Park rolled to seven straight wins to begin the season, including a sweep of the Great Lakes Cross Over in Sandusky, Ohio, to anchor its 6-2 start. Head coach Michael Sopocy notched his 100th win with NPU on Sept. 5 against Bethel in River Falls, Wis.
 
Junior setter Kendal Britton delivered a career-high 47 assists in the season-opening victory against Wooster on Aug. 29. She also leads the CCIW in assists per set with 10.29. Britton logged eight service aces across matches against Nebraska Wesleyan and Simpson on Sept. 6, including six against Simpson, the fourth-most in a five-set match in program history … Carolina Aviles, a senior, added 26 digs and seven service aces in the win against Wooster. She also notched 21 digs against Muskingum on Aug. 30, a performance tied for the 10th-best in a three-set match in NPU history. Aviles leads North Park in both total digs (131, averaging 4.68 per set) and service aces (21, averaging 0.75 per set), ranking second in the CCIW for both categories.
 
Senior outside hitter Annaliese Rottman has been a steady presence, giving the Vikings 22 kills with a .327 hitting percentage against Wooster. She also posted 14 kills against Bethel on Sept. 5 and is second in the CCIW in kills per set (3.79) … Cary, Ill. native Meg Rothermel has entered North Park's all-time top-10 ranks with 126 assisted blocks. She notched four blocks against Muskingum and contributed offensively with six kills and a .545 hitting percentage in the sweep of Wisconsin-River Falls on Sept. 5.
 
North Park ranks second in the CCIW in service aces per set with an average of 2.64. The Vikings recorded 17 service aces across two sweeps against Bethel and Wisconsin-River Falls and had 15 aces in a five-set match against Simpson – ninth-most in NPU's five-set history.
 
The Vikings will welcome Kalamazoo, Wisconsin Lutheran and Franklin for the Windy City Invite this Friday and Saturday at Carlson Gymnasium.
 
Carroll Powers to 5-4 Start
Carroll moved over the .500 mark (5-4) after Wednesday’s sweep at Wisconsin Lutheran. It was the Pioneers’ second straight win and their third in the last five matches.
 
Sophomore and Denver native Bronwyn Rowse has been the Pios’ top offensive weapon, leading the team with 19 kills against Dallas and 20 kills against East Texas Baptist at the ETBU Tiger Invitational on Sept. 5 in Marshall, Texas. She also tallied 15 kills against Mary Hardin-Baylor on Sept. 6 and Dubuque in the season opener on Aug. 29. Rowse currently leads Carroll with 81 kills (3.24 per set) and 88 points (3.52 per set). … Junior setter Payton Depies has effectively orchestrated the offense, delivering 41 assists and six service aces against Dallas. She also recorded a double-double with 38 assists and 15 digs against Mary Hardin-Baylor and leads Carroll in assists per set with 7.35, ranking fifth in the CCIW.
 
Senior defensive specialist Maggie McGough has paced the back line, leading all players with 30 digs versus Mary Hardin-Baylor. She also had 17 digs against Dubuque and 11 more against Wisconsin Lutheran. Her 117 digs rank fourth in the league … Audrey Rosenbaum, a sophomore from Appleton, Wis., provided 18 kills on a .455 hitting percentage against Concordia (Texas) on Sept. 6. She also recorded 15 kills against Dubuque.
 
The Pioneers will take the court again next Wednesday, Sept. 17 for the CCIW opener at North Central.
 
Queckboerner Leads Augie to Sweeping Wins
Augustana took two out of three non-league matches in their season-opening weekend at the Lady Blue Challenge in Jacksonville, Ill., besting host Illinois College and Eureka in sweeps on Aug. 30. AC is 2-3 overall through its first five matches.
 
Junior Lanah Queckboerner led the team with five kills and three service aces in a match against 13th-ranked Wisconsin-Platteville on Sept. 3. She also recorded 10 digs against Rose-Hulman in the opener on Aug. 29 and 14 digs in the victory over Illinois College. Queckboerner is currently the CCIW leader in service aces per set (0.80) … Setter Leah Rizzo has led the offense in assists, notching 19 assists against Eureka and 18 helpers against IC. She also chipped in defensively with 12 digs against Coe on Sept. 5 and eight digs against UW-Platteville.
 
Alexis Richards, as senior, registered eight kills against Rose-Hulman and contributed multiple service aces in the win against Eureka, including four in a single run. She also delivered the game-winning kill against Eureka and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Lady Blue Challenge … Rock Island native Grace Gustafson had a team-best nine kills against Coe and also recorded nine kills in the victory over Eureka. She is hitting .318 this season.
 
Augie will host four opponents in the Viking Classic – Illinois Tech, Bethel, Hamline and MSOE – starting Friday at the Carver Center.
 
Millikin Tackling Top Teams, Earning Wins
Millikin has played a challenging schedule through the season’s first two weekends, taking on three ranked opponents and two more foes receiving votes in the AVCA poll. The Big Blue are 2-5 on the campaign, including a four-set triumph over 13th-ranked Wisconsin-Platteville on Aug. 30 in San Antonio, Texas.
 
Addison Oyer has been the offensive leader for MU, recording 16 kills while hitting .310 against UW-Platteville and 13 kills against #23 NYU in the season opener on Aug. 29. The senior also contributed 10 kills against 10th-ranked Trinity (Texas) on Aug. 29 … Kyra Carothers, a junior from Quincy, Ill., put down 12 kills and five blocks against UWP. She also led the team with four blocks and four service aces in the sweep against Monmouth on Wednesday. She ranks third in the CCIW with 0.94 blocks per set.
 
Setter Alyssa Frederking contributed a double-double with 37 assists and 11 digs against UWP. She also contributed 24 assists and nine digs against Monmouth (IL), and recorded 20 assists and 10 digs against St. Olaf on Sept. 6 in St. Paul, Minn. Frederking is ranked tenth in the CCIW for assists per set, averaging 5.06 … Libero Kylie Ramirez posted a team-high 22 digs against UWP, 17 digs versus NYU and 15 digs in a matchup at Northwestern-St. Paul on Sept. 5. Ramirez ranks tenth in the CCIW with 3.38 digs per set.
 
The Big Blue will continue its stretch away from Decatur next weekend with three matches Sept. 19-20 at the Ohio Northern Invitational in Ada, Ohio.
 
CCIW Stat Leaders Emerge For Elmhurst
Elmhurst will play the second match of a two-game homestand at R.A. Faganel Hall when Rhodes visits Friday night at 7 p.m. The Bluejays have opened the campaign with a 1-7 mark, earning a three-set sweep of Pacific Lutheran on Sept. 6 on a neutral floor.
 
Woodridge, Ill. native Alexis Casey has been a defensive powerhouse, leading the CCIW  in digs per set (4.74). She anchored the back row with standout performances, including a match-best 26 digs against Anderson in the opener on Aug. 29, 25 digs against Berry on Sept. 5 and 21 digs against Illinois Tech on Sept. 10 … Senior Keely Larson put up a .733 hitting percentage on 11 kills in the win over Pacific Lutheran. She also led the team with 14 kills on a .462 hitting percentage against Anderson. Larson ranks third in the CCIW in hitting percentage at .349.
 
Setter Freddie Temple paced EU in assists with 48 against Berry and 38 versus Anderson. Her 7.71 assists are third-most in the league. Temple also contributed 34 assists in matches against Pacific Lutheran and Illinois Tech … Junior Blair Johnson logged a double-double with 21 kills and 12 digs against Berry. She tacked on 14 kills and nine digs against Illinois Tech.