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MVB Jake Kougan celebrates point in CUC Tri Friday, Jan. 27, 2023
Kodiak Creative
3
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 3-4,0-0 CCIW
1
Adrian ADRIAN 4-1,0-0 MCVL
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
3-4,0-0 CCIW
3
Final
1
Adrian ADRIAN
4-1,0-0 MCVL
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 25 23 25 25 (3)
Adrian ADRIAN 23 25 22 20 (1)
3
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 4-4,0-0 CCIW
2
Concordia Chicago CUC 0-2,0-0 NACC
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
4-4,0-0 CCIW
3
Final
2
Concordia Chicago CUC
0-2,0-0 NACC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 18 25 12 25 15 (3)
Concordia Chicago CUC 25 20 25 16 13 (2)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball |

Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Concordia University Chicago Triangular

Eastman and Kougan dominant in victories

RIVER FOREST, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team won both of its matches at the Concordia University Chicago Triangular Friday night, Jan. 27. The Titans took down Adrian College in four sets with scores of 25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21. IWU carried its momentum into the night cap by defeating Concordia University Chicago in a thrilling five set victory (18-25, 25-20, 12-25, 25-26, 15-13) to see its record jump back up to the .500 mark (4-4 overall). 

IWU started the tri with a four-set victory over Adrian (4-1), handing the Bulldogs their first loss of the 2023 season. The match saw a dominant performance from the Titans' attack, as the team hit .352 in the match, compared to Adrian's .198 clip. Illinois Wesleyan led the match in kills (49-48), digs (46-44), and blocks (6-2). Adrian held the upper hand in aces (10-1) and assists (47-44). 

Junior Michael Eastman (Chicago, Ill.-Saint Ignatius) continued his scorching start to the season as he paced the Green and White offense. Eastman recorded a team-high 19 kills on a very impressive .545 attack percentage. Sophomore Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) also put together a noteworthy performance, as he recorded a career-best 11 kills on a .579 clip. Sophomore Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) led the Titans with 28 assists, followed by junior Bradley Benson's (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont Township) 11 helpers. Additionally, Benson recorded the sole ace for IWU. 

Defensively, the Titans, who entered the match with the ninth-best blocks per set average in the nation, once again assembled a dominant blocking presence. Kougan led the Green and White with four rejections, followed by junior Julian Perez (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) with three, while junior Javier Romano (Prospect Heights Ill.-Wheeling) finished with two. DiCosola led IWU with nine digs, followed by Benson and Eastman, who each recorded eight. 

IWU closed out the Triangular with a five-set thriller over the host, CUC (0-2). The stat line shows a well-balanced match, as the Titans recorded 53 kills with a .206 attack percentage, while the Cougars notched 52 on a .233 clip. Both teams recorded 52 assists and four aces. Concordia Chicago held a slight advantage in digs (42-41), and recorded nine blocks, compared to IWU's 5. 

Eastman and Kougan continued their strong night for the Titans, as the pair recorded 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Kougan's 12 kills came off of 20 attacks, good for an attack percentage of .450. Sophomore Ryan Myers (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.-Stevenson) followed with eight. DiCosola and Benson orchestrated the majority of the offense, as they finished with 25 and 23 assists, respectively. 

IWU's defense was led by Kougan and Myers up front, as each recorded three blocks in the match. Junior Alec Mucha (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva) followed with two. Junior KJ Johnson (Saint John, Ind.-Marian Catholic) led the Titans with nine digs. Freshman Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) tallied seven digs, while DiCosola was credited with five. 

Illinois Wesleyan will take some time off, as the next match is set for Feb. 7. The Green and White will travel to Fontbonne University in what will be a rematch, as the two teams faced off on Jan. 20 in Santa Cruz, Calif. The Griffins walked away with a five-set victory in the match. A live stream of the event can be found here, and live stats can be accessed here. 
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