After recording the second-longest winning streak in women’s volleyball history, the No. 7 ranked Titans were finally defeated by the No. 18 Hope College Flying Dutch during a two-match tournament in Holland, Michigan.
After the Titans dominated the Elmhurst Bluejays in a three-set sweep on Sept. 24, 2025, the Titans made the trip to Michigan to take on their toughest competition yet–two ranked teams: No. 14 Marietta and No. 18 Hope College Flying Dutch. The Titans’ only other ranked opponent in 2025 so far was No. 20 Chicago, whom they dispatched in three sets.
Getting through the weekend undefeated would be difficult but would also likely fast-track the team to a top 3 ranking if they managed it.
First, the Titans took on the No. 14 Marietta Pioneers in a match on neutral ground. Despite the Pioneers’ high ranking, the Titans only needed 70 minutes to put them down.
The cherry on top of yet another three-match sweep from the Titans was senior Taylor French claiming the title of Most Service Aces in Titans History. With 248 career aces, she took the title from Tiffany Hamblin, who set the record back in 2002.
And she didn’t stop at just aces. Later in the match, French took the career points recorded from her own assistant coach, Tyler White (previously Tyler Brown.)
The crown jewel for French’s distinguished volleyball career will be the all-time kill record currently held by White at 1777 kills. French currently sits at 1652 kills, and with 12 matches left in the regular season, another possibly smashed record is slowly becoming a reality.
While Titan spirits were riding high, they had no idea about the match they were about to face against the Flying Dutch.
The Dutch took the lead in the middle of the first set, 12-6, which was finally disrupted by Hannah Tellor finding a kill off the set of Feeny. The Titans attempted to tie up the score, but after going point for point with the Dutch, captain Brooke Fox finally slammed down the winning kill for set one.
The tide shifted in set two when the Titans gained a small lead from the service pressure of freshman Lauren O’Brien when she aced Fox for the lead. The Titans went point for point with the Dutchman. The Titans finally clinched the set off the kill from Taylor French.
Set three was competitive, with the teams matching each other’s offensive prowess, but the nine offensive errors by the Titans put the Flying Dutch over the edge, giving them the win 25-17.
The final set of the match was disastrous for the undefeated Titans. With the set tied at 6-6, the Flying Dutch started racking up point after point thanks to the setting ability of senior and co-captain Lauren Lee and the Titans’ multiple attack areas, putting Hope ahead by 10 points.
A service error by junior Kathryn Oates gave the Titans a breath of relief, but the Dutch were still flying, recording 9 straight points to end the set 25-7 and take the match 3 sets to 1.
While the Titans may have dropped their first match, both their spirits and ranking remain high.
Following the loss, the Titans bounced back with two conference wins on Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 against North Park and Carthage, upping their record to 15-1.
Following this, the TARAFLEX/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll put the Titans still at No. 7.
The Titans face off against the CCIW rival North Central at Shirk Center on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
