BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team dropped matches to Edgewood College and Wabash College Saturday, Feb. 10, on day two of the IWU Invitational. The Titans (7-4) lost a heartbreaker to EC (22-25, 25-20, 25-15, 23-25, 19-17) before being swept by Wabash (25-18, 25-16, 25-14). 

The Titans began the morning with a five-set setback at the hands of the Eagles. Junior Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) and sophomore Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) registered career-highs in the loss, as Kougan led the Titans with 15 kills and Milka notched 20 digs. 

Junior Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) was IWU's assists leader with 28, while Kougan tallied two aces. Behind Milka's 20 dig-effort, freshman Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) notched seven digs and seven kills. Senior Javier Romano (Prospect Heights, Ill.-Wheeling) recorded four blocks, with senior Julian Perez (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) adding three.

IWU hit just .130 as a team, with Edgewood finishing with a .165 clip, however IWU led in kills, 56-49. EC tallied 10 aces to four by the Titans, while also doubling up Illinois Wesleyan in blocks, 16-8. 

Illinois Wesleyan slipped past Edgewood, 25-22, in the first set in a match that saw both teams struggle offensively. Despite hitting lower (.077 to .094), IWU used 15 kills to earn the early lead. Junior Luke Hartke (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) tooled a block and Kougan followed with a rejection to grab a 21-17 lead as EC called timeout. Back-to-back aces by Kougan iced the set, 25-22.

After dropping the second and third sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-15, respectively, Illinois Wesleyan clawed its way back in the fourth to extend the match. An early timeout for the Green and White proved timely as Perez and Kougan combined on a block to give IWU its first lead of the set, 6-5. 

Edgewood responded though, taking control midway through the set, before staking a 23-18 lead on an Illinois Wesleyan error. Kougan's kill on an assist from Benson sent DiCosola to the service line with the Titans back within four, 23-19. Ultimately, DiCosola would serve out the set as EC miscues, kills from Kougan and junior Ryan Myers (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.-Stevenson), and a thunderous block from Kougan and Myers to win the set, 25-23. 

The Green and White scored the first three points of the fifth set, before a Williams kill gave IWU a 4-1 lead. The two teams traded three-point runs as Illinois Wesleyan led 7-4 after an ace down the line from Benson.

The Titans held an 8-6 edge as the teams traded side, but the Eagles scored five of the next seven points to charge ahead, 11-10. A kill from Kougan, block by Romano and Perez, and an EC error pushed things to match point, 14-12, but the set was far from over. Edgewood held off match point three times en route to leveling the set at 16 all. IWU held off Edgewood on a solo block from Myers, but the Eagles scored the final two points to clip the Titans, 19-17.

In its final match of the weekend, Illinois Wesleyan could not find a rhythm as the Titans were swept by Wabash. The Green and White were limited to a .108 attacking percentage, while the Little Giants finished with a .373 clip. Wabash led in kills (29-28), assists (28-27), aces (8-3), blocks (9-1), and digs (24-23).

Kougan turned in another strong performance, finishing with eight kills on a .545 clip. Williams added six kills of his own. Freshman Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) recorded a team-high 11 assists, with Benson and DiCosola adding eight and seven, respectively. Benson paced the team with two aces.

IWU looks to bounce back Tuesday, Feb. 13, as the Titans travel to Concordia Wisconsin for a 7 p.m. non-conference match.