Dupage Policy Journal

A strong start to the season for Illinois Wesleyan University and an undefeated weekend for North Central College were highlighted in this week’s College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Women’s Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week awards. Taylor French and Alysa Lawton contributed to Illinois Wesleyan’s best opening record in program history, while Sarah Harvey led North Central at the Raider Invite in Milwaukee.

Taylor French was named Hitter of the Week after helping Illinois Wesleyan achieve three straight-set victories at the Southwestern Invitational, bringing their season record to 6-0—the best start in team history. French, a senior from Romeoville, Illinois, averaged 4.00 kills and 4.72 points per set with a .276 hitting percentage over nine sets. She recorded five service aces during a win over Texas Lutheran on Friday, tying a school record with 18 aces in a three-set match. French also posted a double-double performance with 17 kills and 13 digs against Puget Sound on Saturday.

Sarah Harvey earned Setter of the Week honors by registering three double-doubles as North Central went unbeaten through four matches at MSOE’s Raider Invite. Harvey averaged 11.22 assists and 3.89 digs per match during sweeps over Benedictine, Ripon, Maranatha Baptist, and MSOE. In Friday’s game against Benedictine, she tallied 34 assists, 14 digs, and three service aces; she added another double-double with 31 assists and 10 digs against Ripon and finished with 36 assists and 11 digs versus MSOE.

Alysa Lawton was recognized as Defensive Player of the Week for her contributions to Illinois Wesleyan’s defense throughout their perfect weekend in Georgetown, Texas. Appearing in seven sets across the week, Lawton totaled 38 digs—an average of 5.43 per set—as IWU limited opponents to a .130 attack percentage while hitting .240 themselves. After limited play on Friday against Texas Lutheran, Lawton took over as libero on Saturday and collected 18 digs and three assists against Puget Sound before recording another 19 digs and two assists versus Southwestern.