Trey Marek getting ready against Carthage Feb. 22, 2025

Men’s Volleyball Heads to North Park for CCIW Clash

Titans face Vikings at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26

2/25/2025 2:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Embarking on its first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin road trip, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team heads to North Park University for a CCIW clash with the Vikings (8-6, 1-1 CCIW) Wednesday night, Feb. 26. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Carlson Gymnasium.

The Titans (10-6, 0-2 CCIW) look to snap a three-game losing streak, all of which came against nationally-ranked opponents, with the most recent loss coming against No. 5 Carthage College Saturday, Feb. 22. Freshman Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington) led the offense with eight kills on a .536 attack percentage, while sophomore Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) totaled a team-high 18 assists. Four Titans registered four digs apiece, and senior Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) led the net defense with two blocks.

Illinois Wesleyan's offense has been led by sophomore Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) this season. Williams enters Wednesday with 149 kills, an average of 2.98 per set, this season. Rohlwing follows with 112 kills, doing so on an efficient .339 attack percentage. Freshman Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) rounds out the top three with 96 kills on the season. Reutter, Williams, and freshman Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) lead the team in aces, all of them having eclipsed double-digits this season. Reutter sits atop with 18, followed by Williams with 14, and Zima's 10.

The duo of Reutter and senior Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) have been the masterminds behind the majority of the IWU offense so far. Reutter leads the way with 280 assists, averaging 4.83 helpers per set, while DiCosola has accrued 239, an average of 4.19 per set. Reutter leads Division III in triple-doubles this season, as the sophomore has recorded two, coming against Dominican University Feb. 6, and Benedictine University, Feb. 9.

Defensively, junior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) leads the team in digs with 126, averaging 2.14 per set. Williams and Reutter are second, with each having recorded 89. Already having established the program's single-season record, Rohlwing leads the team in blocks with 60 on the year. The freshman's average of 1.05 blocks per set leads the CCIW and ranks 12th nationally. Kougan is second with 31 rejections, followed by Reutter with 29.

IWU and NPU will meet for the 11th time, with the series swinging in favor of the Vikings, 7-3. The Titans are the winners of the last three matchups, though, and took both contests last year in four sets. Illinois Wesleyan defeated North Park in the most recent contest April 6, 2024, to conclude the 2024 season with a win. Now-assistant coach Mike Eastman registered 14 kills on his final collegiate match, while Williams posted a 12-kill, 10-dig, double-double performance. DiCosola led the team with 23 assists, and Milka broke the program's four-set digs record with 19, one shy of his career-high. North Park enters the match off a reverse sweep over CCIW foe Augustana College Saturday, Feb. 22.

A live stream will be provided by NPU, which can be found here, while live stats can be tracked by clicking here.

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