Cael Whitchurch serving against CUW Jan. 16, 2025

Men’s Volleyball Hosts North Park for Crucial CCIW Clash

Titans play Vikings at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 19

3/18/2025 12:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Needing a win to keep its chances of a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament berth alive, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team hosts North Park University for a Wednesday night contest, March 19. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Shirk Center.

IWU (11-8, 1-4 CCIW) enters the match off a three-set loss to Augustana College Saturday, March 15. Sophomore Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) and freshman Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) led the offense with 10 kills apiece, with Reutter doing so on a .474 attack percentage. Senior Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) and Reutter orchestrated the offense with 18 and 17 assists, respectively. Sophomore Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) posted team-highs of seven digs and two blocks.

Williams leads the team with 178 kills on the season, an average of 2.92 per set. Freshman Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington) is second with 130 kills, doing so on an efficient .312 attack percentage. Kuziela rounds out the top three with 121 kills, averaging 2.57 per set. The trio of Reutter, Williams, and freshman Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) have led the team from the service line. Reutter paces the pack with 22 aces, followed by 14 from Williams, and Zima's 10.

Reutter and DiCosola have split setting duties for the majority of the season. With 337 assists accumulated, Reutter is averaging 4.88 per set, while DiCosola's average of 4.34 assists per set comes off a total of 282 helpers.

Defensively, junior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) holds a team-best 136 digs, an average of 1.94 per set. Williams is second with 109, while Reutter closely follows with 107. At the net, Rohlwing leads the way with 76 blocks on the season. His average of 1.12 blocks per set leads the CCIW and ranks seventh nationally. Senior Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) follows with 35 rejections, and Reutter's 33 stuffs are good for third on the team.

IWU and NPU (9-12, 2-3 CCIW) will meet for the 12th time, with the Vikings holding an 8-3 advantage, including the matchup earlier this season. The Titans stumbled on the road Wednesday, Feb. 26, falling in straight sets. Williams led the team with 10 kills, while Reutter and Kuziela split setting duties, finishing with 18 and 14 assists, respectively. Zima's six digs were a team-high, while Reutter posted a team-best three aces, and Rohlwing led the net defense with seven blocks. North Park just wrapped up a trip to California, dropping its four matches. The Vikings most recently fell in five sets to Marian University to conclude the trip Saturday, March 15.

A live stream featuring Matt Sosler and IWU women's volleyball outside hitter Alex Bardouniotis can be found by clicking here, while live stats can be accessed here.

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