Lincoln, NE - Off to a fast 6-2 start, Nebraska Wesleyan volleyball treks east to Illinois to compete at the Illinois College Invitational. The Prairie Wolves will face three opponents while playing four matches over the course of Friday and Saturday.

GAME TIME, LOCATION, LIVE STREAM & LIVE STATS
Illinois College will host the tournament with each game being played at Sherman Gymnasium in Jacksonville, Illinois. Nebraska Wesleyan will face Kenyon College and Illinois College on Friday, September 19th, with the matches being played at 5:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, NWU will face Illinois College for a second time at 10:00 a.m., before rounding out the weekend against Monmouth College at 12:00 p.m. Illinois College will live stream each game. Illinois College will carry live stats.

A LOOK AT NEBRASKA WESLEYAN
Nebraska Wesleyan has raced out to a 6-2 record after posting a 3-1 finish at the UW-River Falls Invite two weeks ago. The Prairie Wolves have won their six matches by an average score of 3.067, with both losses coming in hard fought fifth sets. NWU holds a team hitting percentage of .210, while averaging 13.1 kills per set. The Prairie Wolves have 418 kills on 1,182 attempts, and have recorded 392 assists and 65 aces. Defensively, the Black and Gold have been stout, posting 43 blocks and earning 536 digs. Through eight matches, freshman Macy Plucker has stole the show for NWU offensively, leading the team with 116 kills. Junior Molly Ramirez has packed a punch, leading the team with a .351 hitting percentage and ranking second with 96 kills. The offense runs through Elecea Saathoff who has distributed 344 assists. Defensively, Raegan Holle has continued to elevate her performance, earning one A-R-C Defensive Player of the Week honor and leading the team with 149 digs. In the middle, Ella Foote, and Ave Stone have been a brick wall, combining for 37 blocks. 

DEFENSIVE URGENCY
Nebraska Wesleyan's defense has played with urgency through eight matches, holding opponents to a .125 hitting percentage. Senior Raegan Holle is off to a spectacular start in 2025, posting a .977 reception percentage and ranking third in the American Rivers Conference at 4.66 digs per set. Kobie Patten, Macy Plucker, Elecea Saathoff, and Grayson Piening have each posted 70 digs. 

HEAD COACH RAYNA CAIN
Head Coach Rayna Cain is in her 14th season at the helm, with a career record of 200-152. She's guided NWU to one NCAA tournament appearance and coached 31 All-Conference athletes. 

NEBRASKA WESLEYAN VOLLEYBALL TRADITION
Nebraska Wesleyan boasts a proud history in volleyball, with 15 NCAA Division III tournament appearances, and five conference championships. Academically, NWU has posted 22 AVCA team academic awards since 1997. 

SCOUTING KENYON COLLEGE
Kenyon College is 1-8 entering this week with a Wednesday night tilt against Muskingham being the Owls lone match before Friday's game against NWU. Through nine matches, Kenyon has a hitting percentage of .148, with 353 kills, 316 assists, 52 aces, 537 digs, and 38 blocks. The Owls are led by Madison Schweitzer, in her first season.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST KENYON COLLEGE
Friday will mark the first meeting between Nebraska Wesleyan and Kenyon College.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS COLLEGE
Illinois College has gone 4-5 through nine games and enters Friday night on the back of a 3-1 loss to North Park University. The Lady Blues have recorded a hitting percentage of .122, with 363 kills, 331 assists, 76 aces, 479 digs, and 59 blocks. The Lady Blues are led by Claire Scully, in her second season.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST ILLINOIS COLLEGE
This weekend will see Nebraska Wesleyan and Illinois College meet for the third and fourth time. The all time series is split 1-1.

SCOUTING MONMOUTH COLLEGE
Monmouth College enters Saturday with a 3-6 record after falling to St. Scholastica 3-2, in their last match. The Scots will take on Kenyon College before facing NWU. Through nine matches, Monmouth has a hitting percentage of .123, with 351 kills, 321 assists, 76 aces, 550 digs, and 64.5 blocks. The Scots are led by Hope Neargarder, in her first season.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST MONMOUTH COLLEGE
Saturday will mark the seventh meeting between Nebraska Wesleyan and Monmouth College. Nebraska Wesleyan leads the all-time series 5-1