Bradley Benson celebrates a point against Adrian Feb. 9, 2024

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Men’s Volleyball Hits Road to Take on Nationally Ranked Dominican

First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Igini Sports Forum

2/19/2024 10:53:00 AM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After enjoying a weekend off, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team will travel to River Forest, Ill., to take on 15th-ranked Dominican University Tuesday night, Feb. 20. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Igini Sports Forum.

The Titans (8-5) enter the contest after sweeping Fontbonne University Thursday, Feb. 15, inside the Shirk Center. It marked the first time the Titans have defeated the Griffins in the series history that dates back to IWU's inaugural match in 2021. Senior Micheal Eastman (Chicago, Ill.-Saint Ignatius) finished with a match-high 13 kills, while freshman Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) accumulated a dozen to go along with eight digs. Junior Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) led the way with 17 assists, and freshman Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) finished with a 15-assist, 11-dig, double-double performance.

For the season, Eastman has paced the Titan offense with 140 kills on a .273 attack percentage, averaging 3.26 kills per set. Williams is second with 111 kills, while junior Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) rounds out the top-three hitters with 78. After becoming the first Titan to accumulate 100 career aces Tuesday night, Feb. 13, Eastman has a team-best 16 aces. Kougan's 13 are the second-most for the Green and White, while DiCosola and senior Bradley Benson (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont Township) are tied for third with seven.

DiCosola and Reutter have orchestrated the majority of the Titan offense this season that is hitting .226 just passed the halfway point of the season. DiCosola leads Illinois Wesleyan with 201 assists, averaging 4.90 per set. Reutter has made an immediate impact for the Green and White in his first collegiate season, as he sits second with 182 assists and is averaging 4.79 per set.

On the defensive end, sophomore Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) has recorded a team-high 122 digs, averaging 2.71 per set. Eastman and Williams are second and third with 75 and 60 digs, respectively. Kougan and senior Javier Romano (Prospect Heights, Ill.-Wheeling) have displayed a heavy net presence with 33 and 30 blocks, respectively. Senior Julian Perez's (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) 21 rejections are good for third on the team.

Tuesday's contest will be the third meeting between IWU and Dominican (4-6), with the Stars coming away victorious in both previous contests. Most recently DU defeated the Titans in four sets Feb. 15, 2023. Perez led the Green and White with nine kills, while Benson and DiCosola each finished with 13 assists. A trio of Titans finished with a trio of blocks in the contest.

Kougan will see a familiar face on the other side of the net, as his twin brother, Jason Kougan, is a middle blocker for the Stars. Dominican enters the match off a four-set loss to the University of California Santa Cruz Friday night, Feb. 16.

No live stream is currently available for the match, but live stats can be followed along by clicking here.

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