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2025 Men's Volleyball Senior Day Photo April 5, 2025
Sam Okewole
3
Winner Loras LOR 17-4,8-2 CCIW
0
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 12-12,2-8 CCIW
Winner
Loras LOR
17-4,8-2 CCIW
3
Final
0
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
12-12,2-8 CCIW
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Loras LOR 25 25 25 (3)
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 19 11 20 (0)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball |

Men’s Volleyball Honors Four Seniors, Falls to No. 11 Loras

Titans complete 2025 season with a 12-12 overall record

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Playing its final match of the 2025 season, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team fell in straight sets to 11th-ranked Loras College Saturday, April 5, inside the Shirk Center. IWU dropped the sets 25-19, 25-11, 25-20. Needing a win to make the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tournament, the Titans conclude their season 12-12 overall, the first time posting a mark of .500, and finished 2-8 in CCIW contests.

Prior to the start of the match, IWU recognized seniors Ryan Myers (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.-Stevenson), Vince DiCosola (Aurora, Ill.-Oswego East), Luke Hartke (Barrington, Ill.-Barrington), and Jake Kougan (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) for Senior Day. The quartet has been a major part of building the men's volleyball program that just finished its fifth year of collegiate competition. 

Illinois Wesleyan's offense was led by freshman Trey Marek (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East), as he tied his career-high of 10 kills on an impressive .471 attack percentage. Sophomore Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) finished with five kills, and totaled a team-best three aces. 

DiCosola orchestrated the majority of the offense, posting 13 assists in his final game donning the Green and White. The Aurora, Ill. native finishes with 1452 assists, the most in a career in the program's short history. 

The trio of DiCosola, Myers, and freshman Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) notched four digs apiece to lead the defense. Freshman Lane Sunley (Flossmoor, Ill.-Homewood Flossmoor) registered a team-best two blocks. 

As a team, the Titans were limited to 21 kills on a sub-zero attack percentage, while Loras (17-4, 8-2 CCIW) connected for 35 kills on a .382 clip. The Duhawks also had the edge in assists (34-20), digs (28-19), aces (5-4), and blocks (7-2). 

A competitive first set saw Illinois Wesleyan notch back-to-back points to bring the set within one early, 7-6, as Marek and Sunley teamed up for a block, and an LC attack error followed. The Duhawks responded by taking the next two, but once again IWU found its way back in, this time off kills. DiCosola set Marek, who tooled a block, and an aggressive serve from sophomore Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) set Williams up for a kill off a ball sent over prematurely, bringing the score to 9-8 in favor of the visitors. 

Following an IWU timeout, Williams tooled a block, and then aced Loras to cut its lead to 13-10. A Duhawks run saw the visitors pull ahead significantly, but IWU battled late to stay in the set. Trailing 23-17, two straight LC miscues cut the deficit to 23-19, but IWU could not hold on any longer, falling 25-19. 

The second set was all Loras, as the Duhawks cruised to a 25-11 decision. 

Another competitive set began with Marek matching a Loras kill to even the score at 1-1 to open play in the third. The two squads traded points, and after a service error, Williams aced the visitors to give the Green and White an early 5-4 advantage. 

Williams once again followed a service error with an ace to give the Green and White a 13-12 lead, forcing Loras to use its first timeout of the contest.  The set remained within at least two points late, as Marek evened the score at 17 apiece, as the freshman downed a dish from DiCosola. After an IWU service error, DiCosola found Williams for a kill to bring the score back to a level 18-18. LC answered with a kill from the nation's kills per set leader, Corey Mayotte, but IWU was not done fighting yet. DiCosola fed Marek for a kill to bring the set score to 19-19, heading into the final stretch. 

The Titans were not able to hold on any longer, eventually dropping the set, 25-20. 

Illinois Wesleyan closes its best season yet with a 12-12 record, and finished tied for fourth in the CCIW with a 2-8 mark. Head Coach Brandon Mueller returns 15 of the members of the 2025 squad next season.
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