Ben Zima and Lane Sunley pre-match starters handshake

Sam Okewole

Men’s Volleyball Heads to Benedictine for Tuesday Tilt

Titans take on Eagles at 7 p.m.

1/19/2026 12:30:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team will continue its stretch of road contests to open the 2026 season, as the Titans head to Benedictine University for a Tuesday night match, Jan. 20. IWU (4-0) will take on the Eagles (0-2) inside Dan and Ada Rice Center in Lisle, Ill., at 7 p.m.

The Green and White tied its best start in program history with a sweep at Lakeland University Sunday, Jan. 18. Freshman Aydin Provost (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel) quickly etched his name in the record books, as he led the offense with 21 kills on a .531 attack percentage. The 21 kills shattered the program's three-set match record, originally set by now-assistant coach Michael Eastman with 17 against Aurora Feb. 3, 2024, and rank tied for third in any match in IWU history. Additionally, his .531 attack percentage is the sixth-best mark for a match all-time. Sophomore Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) also made history in the match, as his team-best 37 assists are the most in a three-set match, and second-most all-time, for the Titans. Provost also led the team in digs with nine, while Kuziela finished with four blocks to lead the Titans.

Four matches into the season, Provost holds the team-high in kills with 51, an average of 3.40 per set, while doing so on a .345 attack percentage. Junior Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) is second on the squad with 41 kills, averaging 2.73 per set. Kuziela rounds out the top three hitters with 37 kills, an average of 2.47 per set, on an efficient .345 mark. Provost and Williams are also the top two on the Titans in aces, with the freshman holding a team-high of six. Williams is tied for second with freshman Dylan Quinn (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove North), as the duo each have five aces on the young season.

Kuziela leads the team in assists, as he recorded 129 helpers, an average of 8.60 per set, in the opening week. Junior Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) is second with 35 assists, an average of five per set, followed by sophomore Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) with 19.

Defensively, Zima leads the team with 51 digs, averaging 3.40 per set. Provost and Kuziela sit second and third with 29 and 26 digs, respectively. Quinn holds the team-high in blocks with 15 on the season, an average of one per set, while sophomore Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington) follows with 12 rejections, an average of 0.80 per set. Provost and Kuziela are tied for third on the team with 11 blocks apiece.

IWU and BenU will face off for the fourth time, with the Eagles having won all three previous contests. A season ago, the Titans dropped a five-set contest with Benedictine inside the Shirk Center Feb. 9, 2025. Kuziela led the offense with 17 kills on a .389 showing, while Reutter tallied a team-high 28 assists. Then-junior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) led the backrow defense with 20 digs, and Rohlwing notched seven blocks to make his net presence known. Vince DiCosola posted a team-leading four aces for the Green and White. The Eagles are searching for their first win of the season, having dropped two contests in three sets to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foes Carthage College and Loras College.

BenU will be providing a live stream of the match, which can be found here, while live stats can be accessed by clicking here.

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