The CCIW Women’s Volleyball Notebook: Conference Week One

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - A busy start to the 2026 season has seen all but one CCIW program play at least 10 matches apiece in the first three weeks of the year. Now, though non-conference play continues, the focus will shift to conference action and the race for a spot in this season's CCIW Tournament. 

Starting on Tuesday night, eight CCIW teams will open conference play over the next week, including a doubleheader of action on Wednesday that includes an Illinois Wesleyan University squad that is currently ranked No. 6 in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll.
 

Opening Week of Conference Schedule

Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Away Home Time Location Links
Coe Augustana 7:00 P.M. Rock Island, Ill. Stats CCIW Network
Carthage Wheaton 7:00 P.M. Wheaton, Ill. (Conf.) Stats CCIW Network
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Away Home Time Location Links
Millikin North Central 7:00 P.M. Naperville, Ill. (Conf.) Stats CCIW Network
Illinois Wesleyan Carroll 7:00 P.M. Waukesha, Wis. (Conf.) Stats CCIW Network
Friday, September 25, 2026
Away Home Time Location Links
Benedictine Elmhurst 12:00 P.M. Elmhurst, Ill. Stats CCIW Network
Wheaton Wisconsin Lutheran College 2:00 P.M. Milwaukee, Wis. Stats Video
Lake Forest Elmhurst 2:30 P.M. Elmhurst, Ill. Stats CCIW Network
Wheaton Kalamazoo College 4:30 P.M. Milwaukee, Wis. Stats Video
Carthage Earlham College 5:00 P.M. Holland, Mich. Stats Video
Millikin Cornell College 6:00 P.M. Mount Vernon, IA Stats Video
Augustana North Park 7:00 P.M. Chicago, IL (Conf.) Stats CCIW Network
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Away Home Time Location Links
Carthage Bluffton University 10:00 A.M. Holland, Mich. Stats Video
Millikin Coe College 10:00 A.M. Cedar Rapids, IA Stats Video
Ripon College North Central 11:00 A.M. Naperville, Ill. Stats CCIW Network
Millikin University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point 12:15 P.M. Cedar Rapids, IA Stats Video
Carthage Hope College 2:00 P.M. Holland, Mich. Stats Video
Carroll Aurora 2:30 P.M. Fond Du Lac, WI Stats Video
Dominican University (Ill.) North Central 3:00 P.M. Naperville, Ill. Stats CCIW Network
Carroll Marian 5:00 P.M. Fond Du Lac, WI Stats Video


Current Records

School Conference Overall
Illinois Wesleyan 0-0 11-1
Carroll 0-0 8-5
Millikin 0-0 8-5
Carthage 0-0 7-5
Elmhurst 0-0 6-5
North Park 0-0 5-6
North Central 0-0 3-4
Wheaton 0-0 5-8
Augustana 0-0 3-7

CCIW Weekly Award Winners

Week

Offensive

Defensive

Setter

Week 1

Alex Bardouniotis, Illinois Wesleyan

75 kills (3.95/set), .293 hitting; 91 points, 8 aces; All-Tournament Team.

Alysa Lawton, Illinois Wesleyan

105 digs (5.53/set), .980 receiving; 41 digs vs. Aurora; IWU Tournament MVP.

Ava Dettwiler, Carthage

145 assists (7.63/set); 54 digs, 24 kills, 13 aces, 8 blocks; .244 hitting.

Week 2

Katie Hurta, Elmhurst

64 kills (3.76/set), .374 hitting; 34 digs, 11 blocks, 4.26 pts/set.

Alysa Lawton, Illinois Wesleyan

76 digs (6.33/set); 14 assists, 3 aces; 31- and 28-dig performances.

Ava Dettwiler, Carthage

167 assists (6.68/set); 51 kills, 62 digs, 9 blocks, 9 aces; 1,000 career assists.

Week 3

Katie Hurta, Elmhurst

68 kills (4.00/set), .402 hitting; 18 digs, 5 blocks, 4.26 pts/set.

Elayna Ammerman, Elmhurst

90 digs (5.29/set); 20 assists, 6 aces; double-digit digs in all 11 career matches.

Kendal Britton, North Park

113 assists; 23 digs, 7 aces, 6 kills; 30-plus assists in two matches.


Statistical Leaders
Wheaton's Sydney Overweg leads the CCIW with a .388 hitting percentage, followed by Millikin's Kyra Carothers at .321 and Illinois Wesleyan's Carly Whitaker at .309. Carthage's Kristina Manojlovic leads the conference offensively with 3.76 kills per set and 4.30 points per set, while North Central's Abby Buban ranks second in kills at 3.55 per set and third in points at 3.95 per set. Illinois Wesleyan's Alex Bardouniotis is second in scoring at 4.13 points per set.
 
North Central's Sarah Harvey leads the conference with 9.07 assists per set, ahead of North Park's Kendal Britton at 8.35 and Elmhurst's Freddie Temple at 7.16. At the net, Millikin holds the top two spots in blocks, with Carothers averaging 1.12 per set and Nikkel Johnson averaging 1.02. Defensively, Illinois Wesleyan's Alysa Lawton leads the league with 290 digs and 5.58 digs per set, followed by Elmhurst's Elayna Ammerman at 4.89 digs per set and Carroll's Samantha Miserendino at 4.67.

 
CCIW Network
The CCIW is proud to partner with Hudl in bringing fans the CCIW Network, the conference's digital home for live coverage. The CCIW Network is your one-stop destination for CCIW action throughout the year, giving fans the opportunity to stream live events free of charge and follow their favorite teams from across the conference.

Follow the CCIW

| CCIW on X | CCIW Instagram | CCIW Facebook | CCIW YouTube | CCIW on TikTok |

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.).

Related Stories

Related Videos