MVB CCIW Player of the Week Jan. 19, 2026

Provost & Kuziela Tabbed CCIW Players of the Week

Both earn honor for first time in their career

1/19/2026 4:00:00 PM

CCIW Release

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - After a 4-0 start to the 2026 season, tying the best beginning in program history, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team saw two Titans earn College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Player of the Week honors, announced by the league Monday, Jan. 19. Freshman Aydin Provost (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel) was named the CCIW Hitter of the Week, while sophomore Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) was tabbed the CCIW Setter of th Week. Both earn the accolade for the first time in their careers, and it marks the second time multiple Titans have earned the honor in the same week.

Provost was IWU's top hitter for the week, making his mark in his first few contests donning the Green and White. For the week, he put up 51 kills in 15 sets played, an average of 3.40 per set, doing so on an efficient .345 attack percentage. He added 11 blocks, averaging 0.73 per set, six aces, an average of 0.40 per set, and 29 digs, averaging 1.93 per set. The freshman totaled 63 points, an average of 4.20 per set.

Making his collegiate debut Thursday, Jan. 15, at Concordia University Chicago, Provost helped IWU to a four-set win with nine kills on a .364 clip, six blocks, and three digs. The Chicago, Ill. native followed with an 11-kill, 11-dig, double-double performance in a five-set victory over University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Saturday, Jan. 17. Provost also added four aces and three blocks to stuff his stat line in the contest. In a sweep of Edgewood Saturday, Jan. 17, he notched 10 kills on an efficient .333 hitting percentage, six digs, and a block. The freshman closed out the week with his most dominant performance, as he tallied 21 kills on a whopping .531 attack percentage, nine digs, two aces, and a block in the sweep at Lakeland University Sunday, Jan. 18. 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.

Kuziela was dominant in orchestrating the Titan offense. For the week, Kuziela recorded 129 assists, an average of 8.60 per set, 37 kills, averaging 2.47 per set on a .325 attack percentage, 26 digs, an average of 1.73 per set, 11 blocks, and three aces. He totaled 46 points for the Titans, an average of 3.07 per set, while stringing together an offense that finished the opening week of the season with a .258 clip.

Opening the season with a four-set win over CUC, Kuziela notched 15 kills on a .303 showing, and added 24 assists to post his first collegiate double-double performance. The sophomore also added seven digs, four blocks, and an ace in the win. He followed that performance with one of the best matches in program history, leading IWU to a five-set win over UW-Stevens Point Saturday, Jan. 17. Kuziela broke the program's single-match assist record, as he recorded a career-best 39, while adding 15 kills on a whopping .429 attack percentage to complete the double-double performance. The Chicago, Ill. native nearly eclipsed a triple-double, as he recorded eight digs, and added two blocks in the victory. In the sweep of Edgewood College Saturday, Jan. 17, Kuziela contributed 29 assists, six kills, six digs, a block, and an ace. The sophomore rounded out the opening week with another record-setting performance in the sweep at Lakeland University Sunday, Jan. 18, as he registered 37 assists, the most in a three-set match all-time, and second in any match, only trailing his 39 set earlier in the week. He added five digs, four blocks, an ace, and a kill to stuff his stat line.

The Titans return to action tomorrow, Jan. 20, for a Tuesday night contest at Benedictine University. Action is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. inside Dan and Ada Rice Center.

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