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Bryce Williams serving against North Park March 19, 2025
Sam Okewole
1
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 4-1,0-0 CCIW
3
Winner Benedictine (IL) BenU 1-2,0-0 NACC
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
4-1,0-0 CCIW
1
Final
3
Benedictine (IL) BenU
1-2,0-0 NACC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 22 20 25 26 (1)
Benedictine (IL) BenU 25 25 21 28 (3)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball |

Men’s Volleyball Handed First Loss of Season at Benedictine

Titans stumble in four sets

LISLE, Ill. - Playing its fifth match in six days, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team dropped its first match of the 2026 season, as the Titans fell in four sets to Benedictine University Tuesday night, Jan. 20. With the loss, IWU slides to 4-1 on the young season, while BenU improves to 1-2. 

The duo of junior Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) and freshman Aydin Provost (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel) led the Green and White offense with 13 kills apiece, as each finished hitting north of .300. Sophomore Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington) added nine kills on a .412 clip.

Sophomore Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) tallied team-highs of 27 assists, three aces, and eight digs, while adding five kills and a block in a versatile performance. Junior Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) was second on the squad with 13 assists. Freshman Dylan Quinn (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove North) finished with a team-high two blocks.

As a group, the Titans finished with advantages in kills (53-40), aces (5-4), assists (46-35), and digs (35-34), but committed 21 attack errors to BU's eight. The Eagles also held an edge in blocks, 6-2. 

A service error by BenU cracked an early stalemate, and Williams followed with an ace to make it 5-3. Kuziela fed senior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) and Rohlwing for back-to-back kills, giving the Green and White a 7-3 lead in the opening set, forcing the Eagles to burn a timeout.

Benedictine responded, ultimately going ahead 19-15, but the Titans fought their way back into the set. Following a BenU miscue, Provost drilled one down for a kill. After a sideout, the freshman stayed hot, as he added two more to his stat line to make it a one-point contest, 20-19, in favor of the home team, causing the Eagles to call timeout.

The Titans were never able to pull any closer, dropping set one, 25-22.

Trailing early in the second set, a kill from junior Patrick Dasbach (Lombard, Ill.-Willowbrook) sparked a 6-1 run for the visitors. Kuziela followed with two straight aces, and an attack error evened the score at 11 all, as Benedictine called timeout. BenU got a needed sideout after the break, but Quinn and Provost teamed up to stuff the ensuing attack to bring the score back to even at 12. 

A run for the Eagles saw the set slip out of IWU's hands, as the Titans fell in the second set, 25-20. 

All tied at 10 in the third set, Williams downed back-to-back sets from Kuziela to push Illinois Wesleyan ahead by two. An attack error tacked on to IWU's lead, making it 13-10. The set remained close as the teams traded points until Kuziela bumped it back to three with a kill. A bad set by BenU followed, and a Kuziela ace brought up a timeout for the home team, as the Green and White took an 18-13 advantage. 

IWU coasted the rest of the way, as Rohlwing roped one down for a kill to solidify the set, 25-21. 

Down 15-12 in the fourth, Reutter found Williams for a kill to crack open a run for the Titans. Two straight Eagles miscues net the score at 15-15, and Kuziela downed a set from Reutter to even it again at 16. Quinn aced the Eagles to give IWU its first lead of the set, and Dasbach pushed the visitors back out in front with a kill, making it 18-17. Kuziela found Provost, who buried a shot down to make it 19-17, forcing BU to use a timeout. 

Remaining close out of the break, Williams downed a dish from Kuziela, who then notched a kill of his own, as he caught the Eagles off guard to make it 23-21, causing the home team to talk it over. 

Reutter set Williams for a kill to bring up set point, 24-22, but the Titans ran out of steam, falling 28-26. 

Illinois Wesleyan returns to Bloomington for its first home contest of the 2026 season Saturday, Jan. 24. The Green and White host Aurora University and Trine University for the IWU Tri, with the Titans taking on AU at 10:30 a.m. to kick off the slate of contests.
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