BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Amid a rigorous College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin schedule, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team fell to 11th-ranked North Central College Saturday afternoon, March 16, falling in three sets with scores of 25-22, 25-22, and 25-15. WIth the loss, IWU drops to 10-10 overall, 1-4 in CCIW action, while the Cardinals improve to 13-4 overall, 3-2 in CCIW play. 

Senior Michael Eastman (Chicago, Ill.-Saint Ignatius) finished the match with a team-high 11 kills on a .400 attack percentage. Freshman Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) posted six kills, while juniors Luke Hartke (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) and Ryan Myers (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.-Stevenson) each finished with four. Junior Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) notched 18 of the Titans' 31 assists. 

Defensively, Eastman posted a team-best five digs, while Williams had four, and DiCosola and sophomore Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) each compiled three. Junior Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) led the Green and White net defense with four blocks. Williams added three rejections and senior Julian Perez (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) finished with a pair of stuffs. 

As a team, IWU was outnumbered in kills (44-32), assists (42-31), digs (34-18), and aces (5-2), while each team finished with five blocks. 

Eastman got the match rolling with a kill that sparked an 8-3 opening run for the Green and White. After the Cardinals got back within two, Perez registered a kill to get a sideout for the Titans, pushing the score to 9-6. 

Following a pair of traded points, Reutter dished a set to Williams for a kill, which was followed by an ace from senior Alec Mucha (Geneva, Ill.-Geneva), and a block from Kougan and Williams to up Illinois Wesleyan's lead to five. 

The Cardinals made a comeback to tie the match at 15 all, but two miscues in three points saw the Green and White take go ahead, 17-16. Illinois Wesleyan would not be able to sustain the lead, ultimately dropping the set, 25-22. 

Opposite of the first set, the second set saw NCC take a 4-0 lead to open. A service error followed by a block from Kougan and Perez cut the early lead back to two as the Titans got on the scoreboard. 

The set remained close, as the teams traded points until North Central strung together three straight to take a 20-13 lead. IWU responded with a kill from Hartke and a rejection from Williams and Kougan to get the sideout, bringing the score to within five. 

Eastman followed with a little run of his own, as he posted three kills in four points to keep the Titans in striking distance. The Chicago native continued his torrid set, as he registered back-to-back kills while IWU was facing set point to bring the score to 24-22, but North Central closed the set with a kill to take it 25-22. 

IWU never really found its groove in the third and final set, falling 25-15. 

The Titans travel to Dubuque, Iowa, Wednesday, March 20, to face fourth-ranked Loras College for a CCIW midweek clash. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m. inside Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center, the host site of the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball National Championship.