Centre tops Illinois Wesleyan University, 3-1

Centre knocked off then-No. 3 Illinois Wesleyan in four sets (25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23) on Saturday afternoon at Druley Performance Gym in Richmond, Ind., handing the Titans just their second loss of the season.

The Colonels' attack was the clearest separator on the stat sheet — Centre out-killed IWU 56-41 and hit .146 as a team compared to the Titans' .066, a gap that proved too wide to overcome over the course of four sets. Illinois Wesleyan's blocking unit was productive with 14 total blocks to Centre's 10, but the Colonels largely neutralized that advantage by generating 15 more kills. Digs were plentiful on both sides, with Centre edging IWU 99-89 in a match that featured extended, gritty exchanges throughout.

Kendra Christopher led all players with 21 kills on a .281 hitting percentage and added 22 points, anchoring Centre's offense from start to finish. Setter Elle B Smith distributed 42 assists while libero Campbell Miles contributed 25 digs and three aces to provide steady back-row support. For IWU, Alex Bardouniotis posted 14 kills and 19 digs for a strong all-around night, while Alysa Lawton added 31 digs at libero.

In the first set, Centre used a 7-0 run — stretching from 13-13 to 13-20 off a pair of Miles aces and consecutive Christopher kills — to break open a tied game and take the opener.

The loss drops Illinois Wesleyan to 7-2 on the season, while Centre moves to 7-0.

Box score: https://www.iwusports.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2026/centre/boxscore/20177