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Williams celebrating kill 3.19.25
Ayodeji Okewole ayo_digital
1
North Park NPU 9-13,2-4 CCIW
3
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 12-8,2-4 CCIW
North Park NPU
9-13,2-4 CCIW
1
Final
3
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
12-8,2-4 CCIW
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
North Park NPU 25 21 18 16 (1)
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 21 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball |

Men’s Volleyball Downs Vikings, Breaks Single-Season Win Record

Hot-hitting Titan offense leads to 12th match of season

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - An offensive outburst saw the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team break its single-season win record, as the Titans secured their 12th win of the season with a four set victory over North Park University Wednesday night, March 19. The win boosts IWU's record to 12-8 overall, and 2-4 in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play, while NPU slips to 9-13 overall, 2-4 in CCIW action.

As a team, the Titans recorded 59 kills on a .322 attack percentage, while limiting the Vikings to 35 kills on a .162 clip. Illinois Wesleyan also held the upperhand in assists (55-33) and digs (47-26), while NPU finished with the lead in blocks (12-8) and aces (4-3).

IWU's offense was led by double-digit kills from sophomore Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) and freshmen Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington) and Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist). Williams posted a team-high 17 kills on a .387 clip, while Rohlwing recorded 15 kills, hitting a whopping .650. Kuziela rounded out the top three with 10 kills on a .350 attack percentage. 

The masterminds behind the torrid IWU offense were senior Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East) and sophomore Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East). DiCosola finished with 32 assists, two shy of his career-best, while Reutter registered 19 helpers. 

A trio of Titans finished for the team-lead in digs, as DiCosola, freshman Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South), and junior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) all notched nine apiece. Rohlwing led the team with five blocks, one coming on a solo stuff. Kuziela followed with three, and senior Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) rejected two.

After dropping the opening set, 25-21, IWU quickly regrouped. All tied up at seven, back-to-back Milka kills sparked a mini run for the Green and White. An NPU attack error followed before the Vikings could register a sideout, but DiCosola fed Milka for another kill to put IWU ahead early, 11-8.

Reutter found Williams for a kill, igniting a five-point run for the Titans. Senior Luke Hartke (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) checked in and made an immediate impact, as he aced North Park on his first serve. A Vikings miscue followed, forcing them to call timeout down 18-13. The Titans picked up right where they left off out of the break, as Rohlwing and Kuziela teamed up for a block. A North Park attack error ended the run, pushing IWU ahead 20-13. 

The Green and White closed out the set win, as a Vikings service error pushed the score to 25-21. 

The third set found the Titans in an early groove. Reutter buried a dish from DiCosola, sparking another five-point run. Rohlwing and Williams rejected the next attack, and DiCosola found Williams and Reutter for back-to-back kills. An NPU error forced the Vikings to burn an early timeout, as IWU had a 7-3 lead. 

North Park wedged its way back into the set, making it a one point game at 13-12 in favor of the home team. Kuziela notched a kill, followed by one from Milka courtesy of a DiCosola set, upping the cushion to three, 15-12. After a service error, the Green and White were gifted three straight points to make it an 18-13 lead. 

Similar to the second set, IWU took the third set to go up two sets to one, as a service error locked the score in at 25-18.

The Titans commanded the fourth set the entire way, as the home team never trailed. Reutter found Kuziela for a kill to open the set, but NPU responded with one of its own. The next two points featured kills from Reutter and Rohlwing, both via DiCosola sets, making it a 3-1 lead. 

An attack error cut IWU's advantage to two, but Kuziela and Rohlwing kills pushed the score to 10-6. 

DiCosola found Williams for a kill following an NPU error, forcing the Vikings to burn a timeout trailing 22-15. Out of the break, DiCosola stayed hot, as he dished sets to Williams and Rohlwing for two more Titan points, pushing match point, 24-15. A Reutter kill off a DiCosola set ended the match in favor of Illinois Wesleyan, which closed the fourth with a final score of 25-16. 

The Titans take the road for three straight CCIW matches, with the first stop being in Naperville, Ill. at North Central College Saturday, March 22. First serve at Gregory Arena is set for 3 p.m.
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