DECATUR, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team snapped its losing streak with its fourth consecutive win over Millikin University Saturday afternoon, March 19. The Titans boost their record to 7-12 on the season and 2-7 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play with the win, while the Big Blue remain winless at 0-17 (0-7 CCIW).

The Titans put together one of their strongest offensive games of the season, as IWU hit .265 for the match and saw six players notch six-or-more kills. Sophomore Michael Eastman (Chicago, Ill.-Saint Ignatius) led the way with 15 kills on a .314 clip, while freshman Luke Hartke (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) went for 10 kills on a .300 clip. Fellow freshman Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) recorded seven kills on a .455 attacking percentage, while freshman Ryan Myers (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.-Stevenson) and sophomore Julian Perez (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) and Javier Romano (Prospect Heights, Ill.-Wheeling) registered six kills each.

Sophomore Adam Blackmore (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) was credited with a team-high 11 digs, while Eastman added eight. The sophomore setting combination of Dominic Bennett (Lockport, Ill.-Plainfield Central) and Bradley Benson (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) tallied 21 assists apiece.

Perez broke a 15-15 tie with a kill in the opening set. Romano followed with a kill of his own before a Millikin miscue pushed IWU ahead 18-15 and brought about a MU timeout. 

The Big Blue battled back within one, but a Romano kill on an assist by Bennett kept IWU's lead intact. The Titans took advantage of Big Blue errors before kills by freshmen Myers, Kougan, and Hartke secured the 25-21 win.

Illinois Wesleyan hit a whopping .394 in the second set to overpower Millikin. The Titans never trailed in the set, leading by as many as five. Kills by Hartke and more MU errors gave IWU a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-21 victory.

The Big Blue jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third before Myers notched a kill on an assist from Benson ended the Millikin run. MU maintained an early lead before Eastman's kill got the Titans rolling. Bennett, Eastman, and Perez rattled off kills to take an 11-10 lead, IWU's first advantage of the set. 

A block by Perez out of a timeout continued Illinois Wesleyan's run, but Millikin battled back to take a 17-16 edge moments later. Hartke came through with a kill, and Eastman added one of his own following a block by Kougan. The Big Blue rallied late, pulling within 23-22, but an IWU timeout proved pivotal as the Titans closed things out, 25-22.

IWU returns to action at Carthage College Wednesday night, March 23. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.