Men's Volleyball during pre-match hype huddle Jan. 24, 2026

ASHTIN ELDER PHOTO

Men’s Volleyball Hosts Rockford for Tuesday Night Contest

First serve slated for 7 p.m. inside Shirk Center

1/26/2026 12:30:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Following a weekend at home, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team will remain inside the friendly confines of the Shirk Center, as the Titans (5-2) host Rockford University for a match Tuesday night, Jan. 27. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.

Illinois Wesleyan enters the match after splitting a pair of contests during the IWU Tri I Saturday, Jan. 24. The Green and White responded after dropping a morning matchup against No. 10 Aurora University by downing Trine University in four sets to close out the day. The win over Trine (3-4) featured a triple-double for sophomore Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist), the first of his career, and the third in program history. Kuziela posted 16 kills, 24 assists, and a career-best 10 digs. The sophomore is one of three student-athletes in Division III to record a triple-double this season.

Making an immediate impact, freshman Aydin Provost (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel) leads the IWU offense with 90 kills, with his average of 3.46 kills per set coming off a .378 attack percentage. Kuziela sits second with 65 kills, averaging 2.50 per set, and junior Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) rounds out the top-three with 54 kills, an average of 2.84 per set. Provost also leads the team in aces with eight, followed by fellow freshman Dylan Quinn's (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove North) seven. Kuziela and Williams are tied for third with six aces apiece.

Kuziela has orchestrated a significant amount of the offense, as he leads the team with 200 assists, an average of 7.69 per set. Junior Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) is second with 73, as he is averaging 4.29 per set. Together, the duo leads an offense that ranks third nationally in assists per set, and first in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, with a mark of 12.69. The Titans also rank top-five in kills per set, as their average of 13.92 is good for third nationally.

Defensively, sophomore Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) holds the team lead in digs with 81. His average of 3.12 digs per set leads the CCIW and ranks 17th in Division III. Kuziela is second with 46 digs, averaging 1.77 per set, followed by Provost's 37. At the net, Quinn leads the Green and White with 22 blocks, as the freshman is averaging 0.85 per set to start his career. With 15 rejections, Kuziela sits second, while Provost and sophomore Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington) are tied for third with 12 stuffs apiece.

Illinois Wesleyan will take on the Regents for the seventh time, with the Titans taking home the victory in all six previous meetings. IWU swept Rockford on the road in the most recent matchup Jan. 21, 2025, led by three blocks and six kills on a .750 clip from Rohlwing. Rohlwing and Reutter each posted a team-high four aces, while Vince DiCosola tallied a match-best 12 assists. Then-junior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) recorded a team-best seven digs to lead the back row defense. RU will make its season debut Tuesday night.

A link to the live stream, featuring Matt Sosler and IWU women's volleyball sophomore Alex Bardouniotis as the broadcast duo, can be found here, while live stats can be accessed by clicking here.

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