BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After a six-day hiatus, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team returns to action, as the Titans (3-0) will travel to Benedictine University for a Monday night match Jan. 29. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Dan and Ada Rice Center. 

Illinois Wesleyan looks to extend its program-best start to 4-0, as it takes on the Eagles (1-1), who were ranked tied for 16th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association's latest poll. IWU's most recent victory was Tuesday, Jan. 23, as the Titans defeated Rockford University in four sets. Freshmen Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) and Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) put together a strong showing in their Shirk Center debuts. Williams finished with 10 kills on a .273 attack percentage, while Reutter led the Green and White with 22 assists, and added two kills, three digs, and three blocks to his stat line. Senior Michael Eastman (Chicago, Ill.-Saint Ignatius) finished with a team-high 12 kills on an impressive .391 clip to go along with seven digs and two solo blocks. 

With three matches in the books, Eastman leads the team with 43 kills on a .352 attack percentage, averaging 3.91 per set. Williams and senior Julian Perez (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) are tied for second with 17 kills each. Reutter and junior Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) have orchestrated the majority of the offense. Reutter has totaled 51 assists, averaging 5.10 per set, while DiCosola has 34 for an average of 3.78 assists per set. Perez leads the Green and White with four service aces, while a trio of Titans have three in the young season. 

Defensively, Eastman leads the team with 21 digs, while sophomore Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) closely follows with 20. DiCosola and Reutter round out the top+four, with 13 digs apiece. The Titans have seen a heavy net presence, led by junior Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) and senior Javier Romano (Prospect Heights, Ill.-Wheeling), who have 11 and 10 blocks, respectively, with each averaging one block per set. Reutter has eight stuffs on the season, while Perez closely trails with seven.

Monday's match will be the second meeting between the Titans and Eagles. BenU took the initial meeting in three sets Jan. 24, 2023. The contest saw Eastman lead IWU with 11 kills and six digs, while Perez was second in kills with seven on a .385 clip. DiCosola finished with a team-best 17 assists, while then-junior Bradley Benson (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont Township) had 10. Benedictine enters the contest off a loss in straight sets to ninth-ranked College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe North Central College Saturday, Jan. 27. 

Benedictine will be streaming the match, which can be found here, and a link to the live stats can be accessed by clicking here.