Men's volleyball celebrating a point at Benedictine Jan. 20, 2026

Meredith Mahoney

Men’s Volleyball Hosts IWU Tri I for First Home Contest of Season

Titans host Trine and No. 10 Aurora

1/22/2026 1:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Completing a slate of road matches to open the season, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team will finally play its first contest inside the Shirk Center Saturday, Jan. 24, as the Titans (4-1) host the first of two home tournaments. IWU will welcome No. 10 Aurora University and Trine University for the IWU Tri I.

The Green and White will take on Aurora to begin the action-packed Saturday, with first serve at 10:30 a.m. The Spartans will then take on Trine (3-2) at 1 p.m., and IWU will close out the day with a duel against the Thunder scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Illinois Wesleyan returns to the court after dropping its first match of the season at Benedictine University Tuesday, Jan. 20. Junior Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) and freshman Aydin Provost (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel) led the offense with 13 kills apiece, each hitting over .300. Sophomore Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) tallied a team-high 27 assists, and added a career-best three aces, while also leading IWU in digs with eight. Freshman Dylan Quinn (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove North) posted a team-best two blocks.

The Titan offense has been led by Provost's 64 kills, as the freshman is averaging 3.37 per set on a .350 clip. Williams sits second with 54, an average of 2.84 per set, and Kuziela rounds out the top three with 42 kills. As a team, the Green and White is averaging 14.16 kills per set, the third-best average nationally. The trio, along with Quinn, also lead IWU in aces, as all four Titans have totaled six so far this season.

Kuziela leads the way with 156 assists, an average of 8.21 per set. Junior Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) is second with 48 helpers, and the duo is orchestrating an offense that sits fourth in the country in assists per set with an average of 12.84.

Defensively, sophomore Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) holds the team lead in digs with 57. His average of three digs per set ranks 19th in Division III, and third in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Kuziela and Provost are tied for second with 34 digs each, averaging 1.79 per set. Quinn has made an immediate impact at the net for the Titans, as he leads the team with 17 blocks. Kuziela, Provost, and sophomore Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington) have 12 rejections apiece. All together, Illinois Wesleyan's defense has stifled opponents to a .189 attack percentage.

IWU and AU will meet for the third time, with the Spartans holding a 2-1 advantage in the series. The two met a season ago at Aurora, with the Titans falling in three sets. Williams totaled six kills, while then-junior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) notched a team-high eight digs. Vince DiCosola recorded a team-best 11 assists. Aurora will open its season against the Titans Saturday morning.

The Green and White will look for its first win over Trine Saturday afternoon, as the Thunder have stolen both previous matchups. A season ago, the Titans fell in straight sets inside Shirk Center Feb. 1, 2025. Williams and Rohlwing recorded 12 and 10 kills, respectively, while Reutter dished out a team-high 21 assists. Milka led the defense with seven digs. Trine enters the weekend off a four-set victory over St. Vincent College.

Information regarding the tournament, including links to live streams and live stats, can be found by clicking here.

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