Head Coach Brandon Mueller against Wisconsin Lutheran Feb. 9, 2024

Kodiak Creative

Men’s Volleyball Hosts 11th-Ranked North Central College

First serve scheduled for 3 p.m. inside Shirk Center

3/15/2024 11:59:00 AM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After a week off of competition, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team returns home for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest against 11th-ranked North Central College Saturday, March 16. Action is set to begin at 3 p.m. inside Shirk Center.

The Titans (10-9, 1-3 CCIW) enter the match off a three-set loss at No. 10 Carthage College Saturday, March 9. Senior Michael Eastman (Chicago, Ill.-Saint Ignatius) led the Titans with 11 kills, while junior Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) compiled a team-best 15 assists. Sophomore Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) posted a team-high seven digs.

Eastman leads the offense with 189 kills, averaging 3.20 per set on a .265 attack percentage. Freshman Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) is second with 135, averaging 2.37 per set, while junior Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) sits third with 96. Eastman and Kougan are first and second on the team with 22 and 15 aces, respectively.

Orchestrating the majority of the offense this season, DiCosola leads the Green and White with 291 assists, averaging 5.02 per set. Freshman Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) is second with 242 helpers on an average of 4.57 per set.

On the defensive end, Milka's 169 digs, an average of 2.60 per set, lead the Titans. Eastman is second with an even 100, while DiCosola is third with 74. At the net, senior Javier Romano (Prospect Heights, Ill.-Wheeling) has a team-best 40 blocks. Kougan narrowly follows with 39, and senior Julian Perez (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) is third with 28.

IWU and North Central (12-4, 2-2 CCIW) will face off for the seventh time in program history. NCC won the previous matches, and took the most recent meeting in four sets March 22, 2023. Eastman led the Titans in the match with 12 kills, while then-sophomore Ryan Myers (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.-Stevenson) posted nine. DiCosola led the Green and White with 20 assists, and then-junior KJ Johnson (Saint John, Ind.-Marian Catholic) finished with a team-high 10 digs. The Cardinals enter Saturday's contest off a four-set loss to CCIW foe and fifth-ranked Loras College Saturday, March 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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