BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - In its final of three home tournaments, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team welcomes Bethany College (WV) and College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe North Park University Saturday, March 2, for the IWU Triangular II. The Titans (8-7, 0-1 CCIW) will face NPU (3-11, 0-1 CCIW) to open the triangular at 1 p.m., and will conclude the day against the Bison (0-16) at 5 p.m.

Illinois Wesleyan enters the weekend off a three-set loss to fifth-ranked Loras College Wednesday, Feb. 28. Freshman Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) led the Green and White with seven kills along with a pair of aces. Fellow freshman Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) recorded a team-high 12 assists while also notching two aces. 

Senior Michael Eastman (Chicago, Ill.-Saint Ignatius) leads the Titans with 157 kills, averaging 3.27 per set. Eastman enters the weekend with 798 career kills, as he looks to become the first Titan to surpass 800. Williams is second on the squad with 122 with an average of 2.39 kills per set. Junior Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) rounds out the top three hitters with 83 kills.

Also nearing a milestone, junior Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) is nearing the 1,000 career assists mark, as he looks to become the first Titan to surpass the milestone. DiCosola enters Saturday with 954 assists, 229 of which have happened this season. Reutter's 200 assists are the second-most for the Titans this season. 

On the defensive side, sophomore Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) has accumulated a team-leading 138 digs, averaging 2.71 per set. Eastman is second with 80, while Williams' 65 are good for third. Kougan and senior Javier Romano (Prospect Heights, Ill.-Wheeling) are tied with the most blocks for the Titans, each having recorded 34. Senior Julian Perez (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) is third with 22 rejections. 

Opening the day against the Vikings, Illinois Wesleyan will face NPU for the ninth time in program history. North Park holds a 7-1 advantage, but IWU was the winner in the last meeting, March 29, 2023, defeating the Vikings in straight sets inside the Shirk Center. Eastman led the way with 11 kills, while Perez and then-sophomore Ryan Myers (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.-Stevenson) each finished with seven. DiCosola posted a team-high 26 assists, while Myers' 13 digs were the most in the match. North Park enters the contest off a four set loss to CCIW foe, eighth-ranked North Central College Thursday, Feb. 22. 

Illinois Wesleyan will meet Bethany for the first time, as the Bison are amid their inaugural collegiate season. In its most recent match, Bethany fell to Hiram College in straight sets Tuesday, Feb. 27. Bethany and North Park will play at 3 p.m. prior to the Titans' contest with the Bison.

Information regarding the IWU Triangular II, including links to the live stream and live stats, can be found by clicking here.