Illinois Wesleyan University Women's Volleyball

Kim Nelson-Brown Year-by-Year Record In 2025-26, Kim Nelson-Brown will begin her 30th season as head women's volleyball coach at Illinois Wesleyan University. She was promoted to Senior Associate AD in the summer of 2025 and also serves as the department's Senior Woman Administrator.  Nelson-Brown’s 30-year overall record is 593-401 (.597 winning percentage) with seven College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championships (outright in 1997, outright in 2003, shared in 2015, outright in 2018, outright in 2021, outright in 2024, and outright in 2025) and eight NCAA Division III tournament appearances (1997, 1998, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2024, 2025). She has been chosen as the Midwest Region "Coach of the Year" by the American Volleyball Coaches Association twice, earning it in 2015 and 2025. Nelson-Brown's teams have a conference record of 138-81 (.630 winning percentage). She was named CCIW "Coach of the Year" in 2003, 2018, 2021, and 2024, and her and her staff earned CCIW "Coaching Staff of the Year" in 2025. In her role on the administrative team, Nelson-Brown oversees academic support and student-athlete retention, Title IX compliance, and department awards. She has sports oversight of swimming & diving, bowling, men's volleyball, and sports performance. The 2015 Titans earned AVCA Division III national ranking for the first time in school history and were ranked No. 23 heading into the NCAA tournament. IWU won its first-ever NCAA contest, sweeping Dominican 3-0 in the first round. In addition, Nelson-Brown's daughter, Tyler, was chosen as the AVCA 2015 national "Freshman of the Year". The 2025 Titans reached unprecedented heights, as the team won the CCIW Regular Season and Tournament Championship for the second straight season, the first time the program has gone back-to-back. IWU also reached the NCAA Regional Championship for the second straight year, and third appearance all-time, tying the program's best finish. The Titans achieved their highest ranking, as IWU checked in at No. 2 in week 12 of the AVCA Coaches Poll. The team weith 28-3, recording the most wins under Nelson-Brown, and the most since 1989, and hosted an NCAA Regional for the second time in school history. Since coming to Illinois Wesleyan in 1996, Nelson-Brown has coached 19 All-American selections (Tiffany Hamblin, third team in 2002; Beth Crowley, honorable mention in 2003; Molly May, honorable mention in 2004; Jenna Passananti, third team in 2006; Michele Malinowski and Emily Hagen, both honorable mention in 2008; Kyleigh Block, honorable mention in 2015; Tyler Brown, honorable mention in 2015, first team in 2016, 2017, and 2018; Maddie Williams, honorable mention in 2017; Rachel Burkman, honorable mention in 2018; Courtney McAuliffe, honorable mention in 2021; Taylor French, third team in 2022, second team in 2023, honorable mention in 2024, and first team in 2025; and Alex Bardouniotis, honorable mention in 2025); 27 All-Region selections; 97 All-CCIW selections, and 10 CCIW "Players of the Year" (Kellie Schmidt in 1999; Beth Crowley in 2003; Molly May in 2004; Tyler Brown in 2018; Madi Corey in 2021; Taylor French (Offensive) and Faith Washko (Defensive) in 2023; Taylor French (Offensive) in 2024; Taylor French (Offensive) and Sophia Feeney (Setter) in 2025). Nelson-Brown got her 300th coaching win on Oct. 31, 2009, against Wartburg, collected her 400th win on Oct. 30, 2016, vs. DePauw, and earned her 500th victory against Carroll on Oct. 13, 2021. In research conducted by the NCAA (July 2009), Nelson-Brown was the 12th youngest coach in Division III with more than 200 career wins and the 16th youngest with more than 200 victories across all divisions. Nelson-Brown was a four-year letterwinner at Division I Illinois State University, from 1990-93, and was the Missouri Valley Conference "Most Valuable Player" in both 1992 and 1993. She was elected to the Illinois State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. A 1994 ISU graduate, Nelson-Brown was the Redbirds' MVP in 1992 and 1993 and three-time "Most Inspirational Player." Kim and her husband, Brian, are the parents of a daughter (Tyler) and a son (McCade). Nelson-Brown is also an associate athletic director and senior women’s administrator for athletics at Illinois Wesleyan and was instrumental in hosting the NCAA Division III national volleyball tournaments in 2007, 2008, and 2025. YEAR OVERALL CCIW (PLACE) 1996 27-11 4-3 (3) 1997 26-11 * 5-2 (1) 1998 21-17 * 6-1 (2) 1999 18-18 3-4 (4) 2000 23-14 5-2 (T3) 2001 19-20 3-4 (3) 2002 23-15 3-4 (4) 2003 26-11 6-1 (2) 2004 22-15 5-2 (3) 2005 14-17 3-4 (4) 2006 24-12 5-2 (2) 2007 20-17 3-4 (T4) 2008 18-17 5-2 (T2) 2009 19-16 5-2 (3) 2010 11-20 1-6 (7) 2011 18-15 2-5 (6) 2012 18-15 3-4 (5) 2013 12-20 1-6 (T6) 2014 20-12 3-4 (T5) 2015 23-10 * 5-2 (T1) 2016 20-9 5-3 (T4) 2017 23-8 * 6-2 (3) 2018 27-6 * 8-0 (1) 2019 9-20 6-2 (2) 2020 7-4^ 5-2 (T3)^ 2021 19-13 * 7-1 (1) 2022 17-12  4-4 (T4) 2023 17-13 5-3 (T3) 2024 24-10* 8-0 (1) 2025 28-3* 8-0 (1) TOTALS 593-401 (.597) 138-81 (.630)   * - Indicates NCAA Division III qualifier ^ - Denotes season shortened due to COVID-19

Tyler White (nee Brown), a three-time First Team AVCA All-American as a player for the Titans, enters her sixth season as an assistant coach in 2025. She works primarily with IWU’s outside hitters and defense, while also serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator. White was promoted to Assistant AD for Internal Operations in the summer of 2025. She serves as the lead advisor of IWU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, assists in the department's community service efforts, manages game operation workers, among other responsibilities. She is the sport administrator for women's lacrosse and is a co-administrator for the men's golf and flag football programs. In her first six seasons on the coaching staff, White has assembled some of the best recruiting classes in the CCIW. She has guided Jessica McCall, Taylor French, Hannah Tellor, Alex Bardouniotis, and Eleanor Palmer to All-CCIW honors. French was also recognized as the conference’s top newcomer in 2022 and the conference's Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, 2024, and 2025, while she reeled in AVCA Third Team All-American honors in 2022, Second Team All-American honors in 2023, All-America Honorable Mentions in 2024, and First Team All-American honors in 2025. Additionally, French broke White's program records for career kills and career points, as she finished with 1919 and 2278.5, respectively. Bardouniotis, also under the direction of White, was the CCIW Newcomer of the Year in 2024, and an All-America Honorable Mention in 2025. The 2024 season saw White and the Titans sweep the CCIW en route to the conference regular season championship, a CCIW Tournament Championship, and an NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance, tying for the best finish in program history. The Titans continued their dominance in the 2025 season, as they swept through the CCIW again to earn back-to-back titles for the first time ever, and made their second straight NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance. Illinois Wesleyan hosted an NCAA Regional for the second time in school history, and won 28 matches, the most in the Kim Nelson-Brown era, and most since 1989. The Titans also achieved their best ranking, as they came in at No. 2 in week 12 of the AVCA Coaches Poll. As a player at Illinois Wesleyan, White was one of the best to ever don the Green the White. In addition to earning First Team All-American status from the AVCA, White was selected as Division III’s AVCA Freshman of the Year in 2015, and earned All-American status all four seasons, as she was an honorable mention in 2015. She was chosen as the CCIW’s Player of the Week a program-record eight times throughout her career. The CCIW’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2018, Brown was also a College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District awardee. A captain on the 2018 squad, White led the Titans to a record of 27-6 and a perfect 8-0 CCIW mark. IWU, which won both the CCIW regular season and tournament titles, swept California Lutheran in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Green and White then defeated WashU in four sets for its 22nd straight win, a program record, before falling in the NCAA Regional Final to Aurora, where Brown’s storied career came to an end.  A four-time Most Valuable Player, as voted by her teammates, Brown broke the program’s records for kills (1,777) and digs (1,987). White graduated from Illinois Wesleyan in 2019 with a degree in accounting.