NAPERVILLE --- The CCIW women’s volleyball season continues to take shape with league play officially underway and several contenders continuing their dominant starts. No. 10 Illinois Wesleyan extended its sweep streak to seven in a row, while North Central pushed its win streak to eight straight. Carthage stayed perfect at its home invite with a statement win over #13 Wisconsin-Platteville, and North Park has served its way to five consecutive victories.
 
Around the league, Elmhurst, Carroll, Augustana and Wheaton each turned in competitive weekends as the first wave of conference action got underway.
 
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN RISES TO #10 IN LATEST AVCA POLL
Illinois Wesleyan continued its surge in the national rankings on Tuesday, earning the #10 ranking in the new poll released by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
 
IWU is up four spots from last week. Wisconsin-Whitewater is the new top-ranked team with 69 first-place votes and 2,116 points. La Verne was up three spots to #2 with 12 first-place votes and 2,040 points. Wisconsin-Oshkosh held steady at #3 with two first-place votes and 1,894 points, while former #1 Juniata dropped to #4 but maintained two first-place votes. East Texas Baptist appeared at #5.
 
Carthage (8-1) is just outside the top 25, collecting 95 points.
 
CCIW ANNOUNCES STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
North Central’s Sarah Lezon (Hitter), North Park’s Kendal Britton (Setter) and Carthage’s Jenna Damon (Defensive) have been selected as the CCIW Women’s Volleyball Student-Athletes of the Week, the league office announced Monday.
 
Lezon averaged 3.63 kills and 4.00 points per set last week for North Central, which earned non-league wins over Aurora, Dominican and Rhodes. She attacked at .311 clip on 61 swings and also averaged 0.63 blocks per set.
 
The Indianapolis native logged nine kills and two blocks in last Tuesday’s sweep of Aurora. She followed that effort with six kills without an error Friday versus Dominican and 14 more kills  and two more blocks versus Rhodes on Saturday.
 
The junior from Grand Rapids, Mich. played a big role in the Vikings’ 3-0 week, averaging 7.91 assists, 1.82 digs and 1.00 service aces per set. NPU won non-league matches versus Wisconsin Lutheran, Franklin and Illinois College.
 
Britton recorded 18 assists in the win over WLC on Friday. Her Saturday totals were 34 assists, nine digs and seven service aces Saturday against Franklin and 35 assists versus Illinois College.
 
Damon led the Firebirds to a perfect 3-0 week, averaging 6.0 blocks per set in nine sets played.
 
She gave Carthage nine digs and four service aces in their sweep of Wisconsin-Platteville on Friday. Saturday brought 23 digs and two more aces in a sweep of Colorado College, as well as 22 digs when the Firebirds topped Concordia Wisconsin, 3-0.

TITANS HANDLE THUNDER FOR SEVENTH STRAIGHT SWEEP
The 10th-ranked Titans stayed perfect in their conference opener opener on Wednesday at Wheaton, earning a 25-14, 25-19, 25-16 triumph over the Thunder in what was their third true road win of the campaign and their seventh consecutive sweep since Aug. 30.
 
The Titans hit .237 with 36 kills in the win. IWU was particularly strong defensively, limiting Wheaton to a sub-zero hitting percentage of -.011 and only 23 kills.
 
Alex Bardouniotis had 12 kills with a .304 hitting percentage against WC … Taylor French tallied 11 kills in the victory and also logged two aces and nine digs. French ranks third in the CCIW in kills per set (3.77) and leads all conference players in points per set (4.54).
 
Hannah Tellor led IWU’s net defense with three blocks for the Titans, and also recorded a team-high three aces. She ranks ninth in hitting percentage (.308) and seventh in blocks (0.81 per set) on the CCIW leaderboard … Kannyn Boyd gave the Titans a team-high nine digs and also served two aces. Boyd averages 4.36 digs per set – third-most in the CCIW.
 
IWU will put its unblemished record on the line this weekend with matches against three squads currently receiving votes in the AVCA rankings. The Titans will host Wittenberg Friday at 4:30 p.m., then take on Rose-Hulman Saturday at 10 a.m. and Coe Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
CARDINALS ROAR TO EIGHTH STRAIGHT WIN
North Central’s win streak is at eight matches after downing Dominican and Rhodes at a triangular event in Naperville last weekend. The Cardinals also held off Carroll for a five-set win to begin the conference schedule on Wednesday at Merner Fieldhouse. NCC’s win streak, which includes only three lost sets, dates back to Sept. 5.
 
The Cardinals boast a strong offensive and defensive hitting performance, ranking second in the CCIW for overall hitting percentage (.236) and leading the conference by limiting opponents to a mark of just .098 … NCC also ranks second in the CCIW in assists (11.92 per set), kills (12.89 per set), and digs (15.97 per set).
 
Sarah Harvey leads the CCIW in assists per set with 10.21, accumulating 337 assists in 33 sets … She had a season-high 58 assists in the recent 3-2 victory over Carroll and added 13 digs … Abby Buban led all players with 17 kills versus Carroll and tacked on three blocks defensively. She also recorded 10 kills in the four-set victory over Rhodes.
 
Katie Godo ranks sixth in the CCIW with 0.58 aces per set (19 total) and led the team with 18 digs against Rhodes. She also served five aces in the victory over Carroll … Sarah Lezon is seventh in the league in kills per set (2.97). In the match against Rhodes, she led the Cardinals with 14 kills and contributed two blocks.
 
The Cardinals will travel to Chicago Saturday for matches against Edgewood at 2:30 p.m. and at host Illinois Tech at 5 p.m.
 
ACES HIGH: NORTH PARK LEADS CCIW FROM THE SERVICE LINE
North Park is in the midst of another lengthy win streak, claiming five straight wins since Sept. 12 that includes a five-set triumph over Elmhurst in Wednesday’s conference opener.
 
The Vikings lead the CCIW in service aces with 132 total (2.81 per set) … NPU recorded a season-high 16 service aces against Franklin and 15 against Illinois College last Saturday in Chicago … NPU put up a .727 hitting percentage in the decisive final set of Wednesday’s victory over Elmhurst
 
Annaliese Rottman ranks second in the CCIW with 3.97 kills per set, totaling 143 kills in 36 sets. She delivered strong performances with 18 kills and a .485 hitting percentage against Kalamazoo, and 19 kills with a .390 hitting percentage against Franklin … Kendal Britton leads North Park in assists and ranks second in the league with 9.60 assists per set, She also leads the CCIW in service aces, averaging 0.72 aces per set with 34 total. Britton logged a season-high seven aces against Franklin.
 
Carolina Aviles is a defensive anchor and a strong server, ranking second in the CCIW for digs per set with an average of 4.57 (215 total). She moved into fourth place on North Park's career service aces list with 171, including six against Illinois College … Meg Rothermel has a .329 hitting percentage, seventh-best in the league and ranks sixth in blocks, averaging 0.83 blocks per set with 39 total. She set a career-high of seven blocks against Franklin.
 
The Vikings will travel to Benedictine Thursday night at 7 p.m., then head to Michigan for the Calvin Invite on Saturday.
 
FIREBIRDS TORCH TOP-15 FOE, STREAK HITS FIVE
It’s five straight wins for Carthage, which swept all three matches of the Carthage Invite last Friday and Saturday at Tarble Arena. The Firebirds picked up wins against 13th-ranked Wisconsin-Platteville, Colorado College and Concordia Wisconsin to run their early-season record to 8-1 and continue to receive votes in the AVCA poll.
 
Carthage leads the CCIW in team hitting percentage at .239 and ranks second in limiting opponents to a .100 hitting percentage. This was on display in their sweep of UWP – Carthage hit .295 while holding the Pioneers to .064 … Carthage leads the CCIW in blocks, averaging 2.29 per set with a total of 78 blocks. The Firebirds had eight blocks against Colorado College and 11 more against Concordia Wisconsin.
 
Kristina Manojlovic packers Carthage in kills per set in the CCIW with an average of 4.00, totaling 136 kills in 34 sets. She registered 13 kills and four blocks against UWP, and 19 kills across two matches against Colorado College and Concordia Wisconsin … Katie Boston leads the CCIW in hitting percentage at .384 and ranks third in blocks, averaging 0.97 per set. She was a strong presence at the net in the Carthage Invite, tallying 12 blocks and nine kills across two matches.
 
Ava Dettwiler ranks seventh in the league for assists per set with 5.53, totaling 188 assists … She stacked up 35 assists, four aces, and 12 digs across two matches against Colorado College and Concordia Wisconsin … Jenna Damon is a defensive leader for Carthage, ranking fourth in the CCIW with 4.35 digs per set. She also had a strong service and defensive showing at the Carthage Invite, recording four aces and nine digs against UWP.
 
Carthage tackles CCIW play Friday night at 7 p.m. when the Firebirds host Augustana.
 
RIZZO NAMED ALL-TOURNEY AS AUGIE HOLDS STEADY
Augustana split four matches at the Viking Classic last weekend at the Carver Center. Augie collected victories Friday against Illinois Tech and Saturday in a sweep of MSOE, but dropped bouts to Bethel and Hamline. The results moved the Vikings to 4-5 on the season.
 
The Vikings excel defensively, ranking fourth in the CCIW for digs with an average of 15.23 per set, accumulating 457 total digs
 
Leah Rizzo has consistently led Augustana in assists, notching 32 assists Illinois Tech and 23 against Hamline. She averages 5.17 assists per set, ranking 10th in the CCIW, and was named to the Viking Classic All-Tournament team … Katelyn Turley is a defensive anchor, leading the team with 18 digs against Illinois Tech and 16 digs against Bethel. She 3.53 digs per set are seventh-most in the conference.
 
Lanah Queckboerner has been a dual threat for AC, leading the team with 10 kills against Hamline and contributing 15 digs and two aces in the same match. She also recorded 11 kills and 16 digs in the victory over Illinois Tech … Alexis Richards paced Augie with 16 kills in the victory over Illinois Tech. She also contributed 16 digs in that match and 13 digs against MSOE.
 
The Vikings play their first of eight CCIW matches on Friday when they travel to Kenosha for a 7 p.m. first serve at Carthage.
 
PIONEERS TAKE MOMENTUM INTO WEEKEND TRIP
Carroll returned to the court Wednesday, coming up short in a five-set CCIW loss at North Central. The match featured 20 ties and eight lead changes.
 
Bronwyn Rowse led Carroll Wednesday with 16 kills on a .238 hitting percentage. She currently ranks fourth in the CCIW in kills per set with an average of 3.41 … Payton Depies orchestrated the Pioneers' offense in the five-set battle against NCC, dishing out 29 assists. She is a key setter, ranking fourth in the CCIW for assists per set with an average of 7.48.
 
Maggie McGough anchored the back row defense Wednesday  with a team-high 15 digs. She is a strong defensive contributor, ranking 5th in the CCIW for digs per set with an average of 4.11 … Audrey Rosenbaum logged 11 kills Wednesday in Naperville. She also aided the net defense by recording three block assists.
 
Carroll will be in Stevens Point, Wis. on Saturday to face Wisconsin-River Falls at 11 a.m. host Wisconsin-Stevens Points at 1 p.m.
 
ELMHURST GOES 3-1 LAST WEEK, EYES WEEKEND INVITE
Elmhurst put together three consecutive wins last week – all sweeps – over Rhodes last Friday and Benedictine and Lake Forest on Saturday afternoon. EU dropped its league opener Wednesday, a five-set thriller versus North Park at R.A. Faganel Hall.
 
Keely Larson is fourth in the CCIW in hitting percentage at .351 across 45 sets. She had 13 kills on a .647 hitting percentage against Lake Forest and 11 kills on a .611 hitting percentage versus Rhodes … Freddie Temple is third in the CCIW with 8.42 assists per set. She recorded 45 assists and nine digs Wednesday against North Park, and also dished out 37 assists against Benedictine and 36 against Rhodes.
 
Alexis Casey powers Elmhurst's defense and leads the CCIW in digs per set with an average of 4.67. In the league opener against North Park, she had a match-high 23 digs and contributed four aces … Blair Johnson drove the attack with 17 kills on a .389 hitting percentage and adding two blocks against North Park. She also had a strong showing against Benedictine with 12 kills on .611 hitting and six service aces for a match-high 18 points.
 
Friday and Saturday brings the Elmhurst Invitational. The Bluejays will host Aurora on Friday at 5:30 p.m. before entertaining Olivet (10 a.m.) and Lawrence (5:30 p.m) on Saturday.
 
WHEATON LOOKS TO BUILD AT FRANKLIN TOURNAMENT
Wheaton split matches on both Friday and Saturday of last weekend’s Marilyn Scribner Invitational at King Arena. The Thunder beat Aurora in a sweep on Friday and claimed a five-set win over Concordia Chicago on Saturday. Wheaton dropped its CCIW opener on Wednesday to 10th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan.
 
The Thunder rank third in the CCIW for opponent hitting percentage (.106), third in digs (15.63 per set) and third in blocks (1.58 per set).
 
Jordan Benford had team-highs of six kills and 11 digs Wednesday against Illinois Wesleyan. She also led Wheaton in kills at the Marilyn Scribner Invitational, tallying 13 kills and four aces against Aurora, and 10 kills and two aces against Lawrence. Benford ranks fifth in the league in kills per set (3.08) … Ashton Major is an efficient hitter and strong blocker, ranking second in the CCIW for hitting percentage (.368) and ninth in blocks (0.70 per set). She notched seven kills with an impressive .778 attack percentage and three total blocks against Aurora. Major also contributed eight kills and two aces last Friday against Lawrence.
 
Lacey Higgins dished out 11 assists against Illinois Wesleyan, 26 against Aurora and 22 against Lawrence. She is fifth in the league with an average of 6.42 assists per set … Grace Autry paced Wheaton with 21 digs against Concordia Chicago, stacked 13 digs against Aurora and added 11 digs against Lawrence. She is sixth in the CCIW for digs per set, averaging 3.90.
 
The Thunder will play three times this Friday and Saturday at the Franklin Tournament in Franklin, Ind. WC opens the tournament Friday at 5 p.m. CT against Trine.