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# Illinois Wesleyan University tops DePauw, 3-1
- URL: https://www.thebackrowvb.com/illinois-wesleyan-university-tops-depauw-3-1/
- Published: 2026-09-12T12:44:53.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-12T12:44:53.000Z
- Author: Aaron Claessens

Then-No. 3 Illinois Wesleyan dropped a set before closing out DePauw 3-1 (25-21, 15-25, 25-10, 25-20) on Thursday, September 11 at Neal Fieldhouse in Greencastle, Indiana.

The Titans out-killed DePauw 52-40 and held a meaningful edge in attack efficiency at .188 to .126 for the match, but the set-by-set swing tells the real story. After dropping Set 2 with a -.026 hitting percentage, IWU responded in Set 3 with a .467 clip — its sharpest offensive output of the night — while holding the Tigers to .028 in that same frame. The two teams were even in both aces (4-3) and blocks (7-7), making the kill efficiency gap the clearest separator over four sets.

Three Titans shared the kills lead with 11 apiece: Alex Bardouniotis, Carly Whitaker, and Juliana Valdez. Valdez added four block assists to anchor the front row, while libero Alysa Lawton anchored the back with a match-high 28 digs. Sophia Feeney ran the offense with 19 assists and chipped in 11 digs to round out a strong all-around night for the Titan backcourt.

IWU closed Set 4 on a 6-2 run from 19-18, with Bardouniotis recording two of those final kills to seal it. The win moves Illinois Wesleyan to 6-0 on the season.

Box score: [https://www.iwusports.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2026/depauw/boxscore/20175](https://www.iwusports.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2026/depauw/boxscore/20175?ref=thebackrowvb.com)