Santa Cruz, Calif. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team finished up its west coast trip with a split Saturday, Jan. 21. The Titans (2-3) faced the host, UC Santa Cruz, to begin day two of the Slug Slam, falling in straight sets with scores of 25-21, 25-14, 25-11. IWU concluded the tournament with a sweep over Edgewood College (27-25, 25-15, 25-19). 

Junior Michael Eastman (Chicago, Ill.-Saint Ignatius) was named to the All-Tournament team after posting 31 kills in 12 sets, good for an average of 2.58 kills per set, on a .236 clip. The Chicago native also accumulated 10 digs, nine aces, four blocks, and three assists over the duration of the tournament. 

The match against UC Santa Cruz (4-0) saw the Titans held to a mere .039 attack percentage, while the Banana Slugs put up a .324 clip. IWU continues to show its strong defensive suit at the net, as it once again put up more blocks than its opponents, holding a 7-4 advantage over UCSC. But, the Titans found themselves outmatched in kills (38-21), assists (36-19), aces (6-4), and digs (34-15). 

Offensively, the Titans were led by Eastman with six kills on a .235 attack percentage, followed by sophomore Ryan Myers (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.-Stevenson) with five, and freshman Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) had four. Sophomore Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) compiled a team-high nine assists, while junior Bradley Benson (Lemont, Ill. - Lemont Township) added five. 

On the defensive side, Milka put up a match-best four blocks, while junior Julian Perez (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) and sophomore Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) each had two. Junior KJ Johnson (Saint John, Ind. - Marian Catholic) led the Green and White with six digs. 

IWU closed out the west coast trip with a win in straight sets over Edgewood (0-5). The Titans held an advantage over the Eagles in almost every statistical category, as they led in kills (32-28), aces (9-1), blocks (7-5), assists (29-27), and notched a .188 attack percentage while holding the Eagles' to .081. Edgewood had 32 digs in the match, compared to the Green and White's 28. 

Perez led the Titan offense with a match-high 11 kills, while Eastman added eight, and Myers had six. Eastman also added five service aces, three of which were in a row to help secure the win for the Titans in the second set. DiCosola orchestrated the majority of the offense, as he led the match with 18 assists.

The Illinois Wesleyan defense portrayed its strong net protection again, as Myers notched four blocks, the most by a player in the match. Kougan and Eastman followed closely with three and two rejections, respectively. DiCosola displayed a versatile effort, as the setter recorded a match-high eight digs. 

Illinois Wesleyan returns to the court Tuesday night, Jan. 24, for its home opener. The Titans will take on Benedictine at 7 p.m. inside the Shirk Center. A live stream of the match can be found here, and live stats can be accessed here.