No. 8 Illinois Wesleyan rallies past No. 24 Dubuque in five sets

No. 8 Illinois Wesleyan survived a five-set contest against No. 24 University of Dubuque on September 5 at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Illinois, taking the match 3-2 on set scores of 25-14, 28-26, 21-25, 20-25, 15-10 before 263 in attendance.

Illinois Wesleyan edged Dubuque in kills 68 to 61 and held a decisive edge in aces, 11 to 4 — a margin that proved especially consequential in close moments. The Titans hit .222 for the match compared to Dubuque's .238, though the efficiency story shifted dramatically by set: IWU posted a .563 attack percentage in the deciding fifth set while holding the Spartans to .286. Dubuque held the blocking edge, 11 to 8, but could not sustain the offensive efficiency (.378) it showed in winning the third set.

Alex Bardouniotis and Carly Whitaker led Illinois Wesleyan with 18 kills apiece; Bardouniotis added 21 digs and four aces for one of the more complete lines on either side. Graci Junis contributed 12 kills, while setter Sophia Feeney distributed 31 assists to go with 19 digs and three aces. For Dubuque, Delainey Winkel paced all players with 19 kills and 18 digs, Halee Clare added 13 kills and seven blocks, and libero Taylor Bechen anchored the back row with 26 digs.

Illinois Wesleyan opened the fifth set on a 5-0 run — two blocks of Winkel and a Carly Whitaker kill among the first five points — quickly seizing control after splitting the middle two sets.

The win moves Illinois Wesleyan to 6-0 on the season, while Dubuque falls to 3-3.

Box score: https://www.iwusports.com/sports/womens-volleyball/stats/2026/dubuque/boxscore/20174