BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team is gearing up for the second half of their College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin slate with a road matchup against North Park University in Chicago, Ill. Wednesday, March 9. First serve is set for 7 p.m. inside North Park Gymnasium. The Green and White enter the CCIW contest with an overall record of 6-9 (1-4 CCIW), while the Vikings are riding a two-match win streak to own an 8-7 (2-4 CCIW) mark.

The Titans and Vikings have met a total of four previous times. NPU has enjoyed winning each contest with the last meeting taking place March 17, 2021 in Chicago.

IWU last took to the court Tuesday, March 1 with a date against Augustana College. AC swept the Titans in straight sets.

For the year, sophomore Michael Eastman (Chicago, Ill.-Saint Ignatius) leads the offense with his 154 kills and 28 aces. Sophomore Julian Perez (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) has notched 106 kills, while sophomore KJ Johnson (Saint John, Ind.-Marian Catholic) has accumulated 104.

Freshman Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) tops the Green and White in the assists category with 218. Sophomore Bradley Benson (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont Township) is quietly putting together an impressive season as he has generated 197 assists.

Playing all-around, Johnson is taking control of the defensive side of the ball as he has produced a team-leading 114 digs.

Freshman Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) and Perez lead the way with 34 and 27 blocks, respectively.

Live stats for the match can be found by clicking here. Live video for the match can be accessed by clicking here.  

To stay up to date on all things Illinois Wesleyan men's volleyball, be sure to follow the team's social media accounts for Instagram (@IWUMENSVOLLEYBALL) and Twitter (@IWUMVB).