NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Elmhurst University’s Katie Hurta and Illinois Wesleyan University’s Alysa Lawton and Sophia Feeney claimed College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Women’s Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week honors, announced Monday.
Hurta totaled 39 kills while hitting .440 across two wins for the Bluejays. Lawton finished with a match-high 18 digs and averaged 6.00 digs per set in Illinois Wesleyan’s sweep of Carthage College, while Feeney recorded 23 assists, nine digs and her 2,000th career assist in the victory.
The honor marks Hurta’s third CCIW weekly award of the season and Lawton’s fifth.
Offensive
Katie Hurta, Elmhurst (Outside Hitter, Graduate Student, Palos Hills, Ill.) - Third Weekly Award
Hurta helped lead the Bluejays to a 2-0 week with 39 kills while hitting .440 across eight sets. Hurta averaged 4.88 kills per set and added 22 digs, five blocks and two service aces. She recorded 17 kills in a four-set win over Augustana before finishing with 22 kills while hitting .500 in a four-set road win at Wheaton. Hurta currently ranks second in the CCIW in kills per set at 3.64, third in hitting percentage at .336 and second in points per set at 4.02.
Defensive
Alysa Lawton, Illinois Wesleyan (DS/Libero, Junior, Elmhurst, Ill.) - Fifth Weekly Award
Lawton anchored the Titans’ back row in a three-set win over Carthage, finishing with a match-high 18 digs and averaging 6.00 digs per set. She also added six assists while helping Illinois Wesleyan hold the Firebirds to a .121 hitting percentage. With the victory, the Titans secured at least a share of the 2026 CCIW Women’s Volleyball regular-season title.
Setter
Sophia Feeney, Illinois Wesleyan (Setter, Junior, Bolingbrook, Ill.)
Feeney directed the Titans’ offense in a three-set win over Carthage, finishing with a match-high 23 assists while helping Illinois Wesleyan hit .336 as a team. Feeney averaged 7.67 assists per set and added nine digs and one service ace in the regular season title clinching victory. She also reached a career milestone during the match, recording her 2,000th career assist.
Previous Women’s Volleyball Student-Athletes of the Week
Week 1
Offensive: Alex Bardouniotis, Illinois Wesleyan
Defensive: Alysa Lawton, Illinois Wesleyan
Setter: Ava Dettwiler, Carthage
Week 2
Offensive: Katie Hurta, Elmhurst
Defensive: Alysa Lawton, Illinois Wesleyan
Setter: Ava Dettwiler, Carthage
Week 3
Offensive: Katie Hurta, Elmhurst
Defensive: Elayna Ammerman, Elmhurst
Setter: Kendal Britton, North Park
Week 4
Offensive: Kristina Manojlovic, Carthage
Defensive: Hailey Wierzgac, Carthage
Setter: Sarah Harvey, North Central
Week 5
Offensive: Kristina Manojlovic, Carthage
Defensive: Samantha Miserendino, Carroll
Setter: Freddie Temple, Elmhurst
Week 6
Offensive: Mary Patrick, Wheaton
Defensive: Alysa Lawton, Illinois Wesleyan
Setter: Kendal Britton, North Park
Week 7
Offensive: Juliana Valdez, Illinois Wesleyan
Defensive: Alysa Lawton, Illinois Wesleyan
Setter: Sarah Harvey, North Central
Follow the CCIW
| CCIW on X | CCIW Instagram | CCIW Facebook | CCIW YouTube | CCIW on TikTok |
| CCIW Network |
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).