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Men’s Volleyball Returns Home for Thursday Night Contest Against Fontbonne

Titans look to snap three-game losing streak

2/14/2024 2:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team will host Fontbonne University Thursday night, Feb. 15, as the Titans (7-5) look to snap a three-game losing streak. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Shirk Center.

IWU returns to action after a four-set loss at Concordia University Wisconsin Tuesday, Feb. 13. Senior Michal Eastman (Chicago, Ill.-Saint Ignatius) finished with a team-high 14 kills on a .237 attack percentage, while junior Luke Hartke (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) added nine. Senior Javier Romano (Prospect Heights, Ill.-Wheeling) tied his career-best seven kills, doing so on a .333 clip, along with a team-high three blocks.

Nearing the halfway mark of the regular season, Eastman continues to lead the offense in kills with 127 on a .271 clip, averaging 3.18 kills per set. Freshman Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) has made an immediate impact for the Green and White, having totaled 99 kills, good for second on the team, in his first 42 sets, for an average of 2.36 per set. Junior Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) is third with 76 kills.

The Titans have seen junior Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) and freshman Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) have been the masterminds behind the offense all season. DiCosola leads the team with 184 assists, averaging 4.84 per set, while Reutter is second with 167 assists for an average of 4.77 per set.

On the defensive side, sophomore Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) stepped into the libero role after a freshman campaign as a six-rotation outside hitter. Milka leads the Titans with 114 digs, averaging 2.71 per set. Eastman and Williams are second and third with 71 and 52 digs, respectively. Kougan leads Illinois Wesleyan's net presence with 31 blocks, while Romano closely trails with 29, averaging a team-best 0.88 rejections per set. Senior Julian Perez (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) is third with 20 stuffs.

Thursday's contest will be the sixth meeting all-time between the Titans and Griffins (3-6), with the first meeting being a historic moment for the Green and White. Illinois Wesleyan's inaugural match occurred Feb. 3, 2021, at Fontbonne, where the Titans ultimately fell in straight sets. Fontbonne owns all five previous matches, including the most recent on Feb. 7, 2023, winning in four sets. Eastman recorded his 500th career kill during the match, doing so in the same gym where he recorded his first. The Griffins come to Bloomington after sweeping Rockford University Friday, Feb. 9.

The match will be live streamed, with Luke Kotcher on play-by-play, and IWU women's volleyball middle blocker Eleanor Palmer doing color commentary. The live stream link can be found here, while a link to live stats can be accessed by clicking here.

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