BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team will kick off the 2025 season at home, as the Titans host Concordia University Wisconsin Thursday night, Jan. 16. Action is set to begin inside the Shirk Center at 7 p.m.

Beginning the fifth season in program history, Illinois Wesleyan will open a season at home for the first time. Head Coach Brandon Mueller begins his fifth season leading the group alongside 10 returning members of the 2024 squad that posted an 11-14 record, tying for the most wins in a season in program history. Leading the way as captains of the 2025 team are seniors Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East), Ryan Myers (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.-Stevenson), and Luke Hartke (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington).

After graduating the program's first senior class, Thursday will feature a hefty load of new faces for the Titans, as Mueller brought in 10 freshmen. Making their collegiate debuts will be freshmen Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South), Dylan McKeon (Chicago, Ill.-St. Laurence), Cael Whitchurch (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont), Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist), Charlie Bialek (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Bolingbrook), Lane Sunley (Flossmoor, Ill.-Homewood Flossmoor), Wilson Spaulding (Tucson, Ariz.-Catalina Foothills), Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington), Trey Marek (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East), and Daniel Overstreet (Oswego, Ill.-Oswego). 

IWU will also feature new coaches with familiar faces, as Mueller added Michael Eastman and Alec Mucha to the coaching staff, who both were members of the team before graduating following the 2024 season. Eastman, a graduate assistant coach, was the program's first All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin selection, earning second team honors in 2024, and holds numerous records for the Green and White, including career points (1048.5) and kills (897). Mucha, who is a volunteer assistant coach, ranks fourth in program history in blocks (97) and eighth in career kills (145). 

The Titans return three of the top-five hitters from the 2024 campaign. Sophomore Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) is the top returner, as he finished second on the team with 188 kills, an average of 2.47 per set, in his first season. Senior Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) tied for the third-most with 108, and Hartke was fifth with 93. Kougan will be the best returning server, as he finished second on the team in aces with 17. Sophomore Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) was fourth with 11, and Williams finished fifth with 10 aces.

The only player in program history to achieve 1000 career assists, DiCosola returns as the top setter from a season ago. In his junior campaign, DiCosola led IWU with 359 assists, averaging 4.85 per set. Reutter was second with 296, an average of 4.48 per set, as the duo spent the majority of the season splitting duties. 

On the defensive end, junior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) served as the team's libero last season, racking up a team-high 212 digs, an average of 2.12 per set. Williams and DiCosola were third and fourth on the squad with 108 and 86 digs, respectively. The program's leader in career blocks with 140, Kougan looks to lead the net defense in his final season after finishing second on the team in total blocks a year ago with 49, including a team-best seven solo stuffs. Williams was fourth with 24 rejections, followed closely by Hartke's 22.

IWU and CUW will meet on the court for just the second time, with the first matchup occurring last season. The Titans fell in four sets on the road Feb. 13, 2024. Eastman led the team with 14 kills and two aces, followed Hartke with nine kills, and Williams with eight. DiCosola and Reutter orchestrated the offense with 23 and 17 assists, respectively, while each added eight digs. Milka's 14 digs were a match-high. 

A link to the live stream can be found here, and will feature Matt Sosler, who also does play-by-play for Illinois Wesleyan's women's basketball and men's lacrosse teams, and Alex Bardouniotis, a member of the IWU women's volleyball team, on the air. The duo will be the voice of the IWU men's volleyball broadcasts for the majority of the season. A link to live stats can be found by clicking here.