Head Coach Brandon Mueller talking in a huddle

Men’s Volleyball Heads East for Morgan Classic

Mueller brings program back to alma mater

2/13/2025 4:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team heads east to participate in the Morgan Classic, hosted by Springfield College, Friday-Saturday, Feb. 14-15. The Titans (9-3) will play Arcadia University Friday night at 6 p.m. ET, before taking on either No. 6 Springfield (8-1) or No. 1 New York University Saturday, at 7 or 9 p.m. ET.

The trip will see IWU head coach Brandon Mueller bring the program he started back to his alma mater, where he won two national championships in 2002 and 2003. Mueller was inducted into the Springfield Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018 and is regarded as one of the best men's volleyball players in Division III history. He led the Pride to Division III National Championships in 2002 and 2003. A two-time Molten Invitational Division III National Championship Most Valuable Player honoree, Mueller holds the Springfield career records for kills (1,604), points (1,835.5), and aces (109). Mueller was a two-time AVCA First Team All-American and three-time Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association All-Conference pick.

Illinois Wesleyan enters the weekend off a split in the IWU Triangular III Sunday, Feb. 9. The Titans fell in five sets to Benedictine University before rebounding to beat Wabash College in five later that day. The Wabash match saw sophomore Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) break the program's match record with an attack percentage of .645, finishing with a career-high 21 kills, the third-most in any match in program history. Senior Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) and sophomore Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) orchestrated the offense with 23 and 22 assists, respectively. Junior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) led the defense with eight digs, while freshman Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington) led the net defense with eight blocks, the third-most in a single match.

After collecting the program's first triple-double performance in its first-ever ranked win, defeating No. 19 Dominican University Thursday, Feb. 6, and following with another triple-double against Benedictine a game later, Reutter became the first in program history to be named an American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player of the Week Tuesday, Feb. 11. Reutter also landed on the FrogJump Team of the Week the same day, becoming the first to receive the honor. Reutter earned his first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Setter of the Week accolade Monday, Feb. 11, joined by Rohlwing on the weekly award list who earned his second-straight CCIW Defensive Player of the Week honor. The duo became the first Titans to win the weekly award the same week, and Rohlwing became the first Titan to receive multiple honors.

Williams has led the offense through 12 games this season, having totaled 124 kills, an average of 3.26 per set. Rohlwing is second with 93 kills, averaging 2.07 per set on a .356 attack percentage, the 34th-best average in Division III this season. Reutter rounds out the top-three with 69 kills. Reutter and Williams lead the Green and White from the service line with 15 and 13 aces, respectively. Freshman Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) sits third with seven.

The masterminds behind the majority of the IWU offense, Reutter and DiCosola lead the team with 218 and 204 assists, respectively. Reutter enters the weekend at 483 career assists, nearing the 500 mark just 12 matches into his sophomore season. The Frankfort, Ill. native is averaging 4.73 assists per set, while DiCosola has a season average of 4.43.

Defensively, the Titans could see Rohlwing break the program's single-season block record this weekend, needing only 12 matches to tie the record of 51, held by Javier Romano (2024) and now-senior Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East), who reached the mark in 2022. The freshman leads the CCIW and ranks 10th nationally with an average of 1.13 blocks per set. Kougan is second with 26 rejections, followed by Reutter's 25. The trio has led the Illinois Wesleyan defense to an average of 2.10 blocks per set, a mark that ranks 19th in Division III. Milka's 105 digs leads the Titans, followed by Williams with 73 and Reutter with 67.

IWU will face two first-time opponents this weekend, as the Green and White has never faced off against Arcadia (4-6), NYU (11-0), or Springfield. AU most recently fell in straight sets to Rutgers-Newark Thursday, Feb. 6. Springfield enters the weekend off a sweep of Nichols Saturday, Feb. 8, while NYU bested Stevens in four sets Wednesday, Feb. 12.

Information regarding the Morgan Classic, including links to tickets, live stream, and live stats, as well as previous tournament information, can be found here. The matches will be streamed through FloSports, where a subscription is required to watch.

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