BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team swept Millikin University in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play Tuesday, Feb. 22, inside the Shirk Center. IWU swept MU 25-15, 25-17, and 25-13 to pick up its first conference win of the season to move to 6-7 overall and 1-2 in the CCIW. Meanwhile, Millikin stumbled to 0-11 (0-2 CCIW).

Sophomore KJ Johnson (Saint John, Ind.-Marian Catholic) paced the Titans with match-highs of 10 kills and seven digs. He hit .389 for the match, while also adding an assist and a block. Sophomore Bradley Benson (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) notched 14 assists and five aces, both of which were team bests, while freshman Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) added 12 assists over two sets played. 

As a team the Titans hit .263 for the match with 37 kills on 80 attempts. The Big Blue finished with a hitting percentage of -.014 for the match, tallying 19 kills with 20 errors on 73 attempts. IWU mounted advantages in digs (32-22), blocks (5.5-4), and aces (10-1).

Illinois Wesleyan walloped the Big Blue in the opening set, which saw the Titans hit at a .375 clip while holding Millikin to a -.043 attacking percentage. Freshman Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) paved the way with five first-set kills, while Johnson and sophomore Michael Eastman (Chicago, Ill.-Saint Ignatius)  followed with four apiece. The set was tight early as the two teams sat even at 8-8, but a block by Ryan Myers (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.-Stevenson) and Kougan capped a five-point run for IWU to put the Titans up 13-8. Illinois Wesleyan never looked back from there, as back-to-back kills by Kougan gave the Green and White the set, 25-15.

IWU jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the second, but MU battled its way back within one, 14-13. Sophomore Julian Perez (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) got the Titans back on track with a kill before Eastman's kill pushed Illinois Wesleyan ahead, 23-17. An ace by Eastman was followed by blocks by Johnson and sophomore Alec Mucha (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) and sophomore Javier Romano (Prospect Heights, Ill.-Wheeling) and Perez. 

The Green and White rolled in the third set to complete the sweep with a 25-13 victory as Benson notched five aces and Johnson led the way with four kills. 

The Titans remain at home to take on seventh-ranked Carthage College Saturday, Feb. 26. First service is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. inside the Shirk Center.