Lane Sunley leads the IWU men's volleyball pregame hype

Men’s Volleyball Hosts First of Three Home Triangulars

Titans welcome Olivet and Lakeland for IWU Tri I Saturday, Jan. 18

1/17/2025 12:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After opening the 2025 season with a four-set win over Concordia University Wisconsin Thursday night, Jan. 16, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team remains home to host the first of three triangulars this season. IWU (1-0) welcomes University of Olivet and Lakeland University to the Shirk Center Saturday, Jan. 18.

The Titans will face Olivet to kick off the day at 11 a.m. before concluding the tournament against Lakeland (0-1) at 4 p.m. Olivet and Lakeland will play a neutral site contest in between the matches at 1:30 p.m.

Illinois Wesleyan enters the weekend off a win over CUW, marking the third consecutive year that the Titans have won their season opener. The night saw four freshmen make impactful debuts, as Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist), Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington), Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South), and Cael Whitchurch (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont) all got their first taste of collegiate action. IWU's offense was led by a trio of Titans in double-digit kills. Leading the way, senior Ryan Myers (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.-Stevenson) posted 14 kills on a whopping .458 attack percentage. Kuziela registered 13 kills in his debut, along with nine assists to finish just shy of a double-double performance. Sophomore Patrick Dasbach (Lombard, Ill.-Willowbrook) posted a career-high 10 kills to round out the top-three.

Similar to last season, senior Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) and sophomore Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) were the masterminds behind the Titan offense that hit .259 in the match. DiCosola posted 20 assists, and Reutter recorded 13, while both finished the night with a pair of digs.

On a night where the offense proved strong, the Titan defense also put on a show. Illinois Wesleyan finished with 13 blocks, tied for the second-most in a match in program history. Senior Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) led the net defense, finishing with a career-best seven blocks, the most in a four-set match in program history, and the second-most all-time. Rohlwing finished second on the squad with four rejections to go along with nine kills, and Dasbach, Reutter, and Kuziela each finished with three stuffs. Junior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East), Dasbach, and Myers tied for the team-high with five digs apiece.

The Titans will face Olivet for the second time, with the inaugural meeting occurring a season ago. IWU downed the Comets in straight sets Jan. 21, 2024, to open the 2024 season. Now-assistant coach Mike Eastman led the Titan offense with 13 kills on an incredible .600 attack percentage, along with posting a team-high eight digs. DiCosola dished out 13 assists, and Reutter registered eight in his collegiate debut.

IWU also met Lakeland for the first time on Jan. 21, 2024, with the Titans taking a victory in five sets in a reverse sweep. Eastman posted a team-high 18 kills and three aces. Myers finished with eight kills on an impressive .667 clip, and Kougan notched seven. Kougan posted his then-career-best six blocks in the match. In his second collegiate contest, Reutter posted a double-double, finishing with 21 assists and 10 digs, both of which were team-highs. DiCosola added 15 assists, eight digs, and an ace. Lakeland enters the weekend off a season-opening loss to No. 8 Carthage College, falling in straight sets Friday, Jan. 10.

All three matches will be live streamed, with Matt Sosler and IWU women's volleyball student-athlete Alex Bardouniotis on the air. To watch the match and listen to the duo, click here. Live stats can be found here.

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