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Aydin Provost hitting against Aurora Jan. 24, 2026
ASHTIN ELDER PHOTO
3
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 10-3,0-0 CCIW
1
Concordia Wisconsin CUW 0-9,0-0 NACC
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
10-3,0-0 CCIW
3
Final
1
Concordia Wisconsin CUW
0-9,0-0 NACC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 28 25 25 25 (3)
Concordia Wisconsin CUW 26 27 13 22 (1)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball |

Records Fall as Men’s Volleyball Downs Concordia Wisconsin

Provost breaks single-match kills and points records, Titans tie best start in program history

MEQUON, Wis. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team defeated Concordia University Wisconsin, 3-1, on the road Thursday night, Feb. 12, in a match that featured many monumental moments for the Titans. 

The win pushed IWU to 10-3 on the season, tying the program's best start set a year ago. Freshman Aydin Provost (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel) smashed the single-match kills record, as his 25 kills bested the previous mark of 23 held by now-assistant coach Mike Eastman. He also took down the single-match points record with 27.5, also originally held by Eastman (26). Sophomore Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) also etched his name in the book, as his 34 assists tied for the most in a four-set match, while he added 18 kills and a team-high 14 digs to complete the second triple-double performance of his career, the fourth in IWU history. With 11 kills, junior Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) now sits at 500 for his career, joining Eastman as the only Titans to achieve the milestone. The last record smashed on the night was the team's match record for kills, as IWU finished with 68. 

The Green and White's program-best 68 kills came on a .285 showing, while the Titans limited the Falcons (0-9) to 31 kills on a .188 clip. Illinois Wesleyan also finished with 61 assists, tied for the most in a four-set match and second all-time, compared to CUW's 27. IWU notched the advantage in digs (48-29) and aces (9-5), while Concordia Wisconsin posted the edge in blocks, 12-6.

Illinois Wesleyan's offense was led by three Titans eclipsing double figures in kills. Provost led the way with his record-setting 25, followed by 18 from Kuziela on a monstrous .533 showing. Williams rounded out the top-three with 11, as all three hitters finished with attack percentages north of .300. The trio of Williams, senior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East), and freshman Ryan Jilly (Antioch, Ill.-Antioch Community) each notched a pair of aces. Junior Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) followed Kuziela in the assists category with 16 helpers.

Sophomore Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) nearly completed a double-double performance, as he was second on the squad with 11 digs to go along with a career-best nine assists. Freshman Dylan Quinn (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove North) led the Titan net defense with four blocks, followed by two each from Milka and Williams.

Trailing 21-18, a timeout by head coach Brandon Mueller proved to be pivotal for the Titans in the opening set. Kuziela and Zima found Provost for back-to-back kills out of the break, and Milka evened the score at 21 with a kill. Concordia Wisconsin pushed set point off a service error by the Titans, but Reutter fed Kuziela for two clutch kills to reverse the momentum, as IWU took its first lead of the night, 25-24, forcing CUW to call timeout.

With the score level at 26, Quinn and Kuziela teamed up to block a Falcons attack to make it 27-26 in favor of the visitors. Kuziela followed by finding Williams for the kill to complete the set one comeback, 28-26. 

After dropping the second set, 27-25, IWU responded quickly in the third. A service error by the Falcons sparked a six-point run for the Titans. Williams downed a ball sent over early for a kill before joining Quinn for a block to double the score, 12-6. Provost put away three straight kills to make it 15-6, causing Concordia Wisconsin to call a timeout. 

The break in action did little to slow the Titan offense down, as the Green and White cruised in the third set. Reutter fed Kuziela for a kill, igniting a 4-0 to close out the swing set, and Milka followed two straight Falcons miscues with an ace to lock the score at 25-13. 

Down by one late in the fourth, Reutter found Kuziela for a kill to tie the set at 19. The ensuing point saw Kuziela find Williams for a kill, as the junior's 500th career kill put the Green and White ahead, 20-19. Following a sideout, Provost roped a shot and a Williams ace gave the visitors a two-point cushion, 22-20. Continuing to find the hot hand, Kuziela sent another set to Provost for a kill, cuing match point, and the duo teamed up once again to finalize the set, and the match, 25-22.

The Titans return home to host the IWU Triangular II Saturday, Feb. 14. Illinois Wesleyan will open the day by taking on Wisconsin Lutheran College at 11 a.m., and will conclude the triangular with a 4 p.m. bout against Westminster College.
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