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Ben Zima celebrating a point with team against Wisconsin Lutheran College Saturday, Feb. 14
Audrey Peterson
2
Wis. Lutheran WLC 5-2,0-0 NACC
3
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 11-3,0-0 CCIW
Wis. Lutheran WLC
5-2,0-0 NACC
2
Final
3
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
11-3,0-0 CCIW
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Wis. Lutheran WLC 15 25 30 25 13 (2)
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 25 23 32 23 15 (3)
1
Westminster (MO) WESTMO 12-4,0-0 DIII Independent
3
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 12-3,0-0 CCIW
Westminster (MO) WESTMO
12-4,0-0 DIII Independent
1
Final
3
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
12-3,0-0 CCIW
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Westminster (MO) WESTMO 20 25 21 21 (1)
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 25 19 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball |

Men’s Volleyball Wins Two for Program-Best Start

Titans improve to 12-3, match single-season wins record

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team took two wins at the IWU Triangular II Saturday, Feb. 14, to establish a new program-best start. The two victories bumped the Titans to 12-3 on the year, and match the single-season wins record. Illinois Wesleyan opened the day with a five-set win over Wisconsin Lutheran College behind scores of 25-15, 23-25, 32-30, 23-25, 15-13, and closed out the triangular by defeating Westminster College in four sets (25-20, 19-25, 25-21, 25-21). 

Illinois Wesleyan 3, Wisconsin Lutheran 0
Illinois Wesleyan went the distance with Wisconsin Lutheran (5-2) in the first match of the day, as IWU took sets one, three, and five to win the five-setter. The Green and White finished with a program-record 76 kills, while WLC was held to 48. IWU also finished with the lead in digs (78-65), and assists (70-43), while the Warriors notched the advantage in aces (6-5) and blocks (12-7). 

The Illinois Wesleyan offense was powered by five Titans finishing with double-digit kills. Freshman Aydin Provost (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel) led with 17 kills, while junior Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) closely followed with 16. Sophomore Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) posted 12, while sophomore Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington) and freshman Dylan Quinn (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove North) each added 10. Williams tied his career-high with four aces to pace the Titans from the service line.

Kuziela and junior Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) orchestrated the majority of the IWU offense. Kuziela tallied a team-best 33 assists, while Reutter finished with 25. 

Defensively, four Titans totaled 10+ digs, led by 18 from sophomore Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) to tie his career-high. Williams and Reutter notched 14 and 13, respectively, as they each eclipsed a double-double. With 13 digs, Kuziela completed his second straight triple-double performance, and his third on the season. The sophomore leads the nation in the statistical category. Quinn made his net presence known with five blocks, tying his career-high. Provost added three rejections to his stat line.

The Titans raced out to a 6-1 lead to force an early WLC timeout before two aces and a Milka kill stretched the lead to 11-1. The Green and White kept its distance with Williams slamming one down for a 25-15 victory. 

The second set was far tighter as teams traded leads. Quinn gave the Titans a four-point cushion, 14-10, but was met with a five-spurt by the Warriors. Provost even the score with a kill out of an IWU timeout and Williams' later aced the Warriors to make it 20-20.

Coming out of a Wisconsin Lutheran timeout, Provost tooled the block to push Illinois Wesleyan ahead, 21-20. The visitors scored three of the next four points and despite a set-tying kill from Provost, WLC escaped with a 25-23 win to level the match, 1-1.

Holding a one point lead late into the third set, IWU fell behind after Wisconsin Lutheran took three straight points to go ahead 22-21. Kuziela found Provost to get a much needed sideout. Quinn and junior Patrick Dasbach (Lombard, Ill.-Willowbrook) sent a Warriors attack back for a block to make it 23-22 in favor of the Titans. 

Staring down set points, IWU caught a break on a WLC service error, and Dasbach solo stuffed the Warriors to swing momentum back for the Titans, 25-24. Needing to win by two, both teams refused to give up the swing set, but Illinois Wesleyan went back out in front one last time with a Quinn kill. Williams roped an ace through the hands of the Warriors to end the set in favor of the home team, 32-30. 

Dropping the fourth, 25-23, Rohlwing rallied the Titans in the fifth. After teaming up with Provost for a rejection, the sophomore put down a pair of kills to keep IWU within striking distance, 7-5. Provost, Rohlwing, and Kuziela ratted off kills to tie the score at 11, 12, and 13 as the teams went point for point.

Kuziela ripped his 12th kill of the match to force a Wisconsin Lutheran timeout, but came right back with another slam to push IWU up, 14-13. Eventually, the Green and White sealed the win as it prevailed in a lengthy rally, 15-13.

Illinois Wesleyan 3, Westminster 1
Continuing its strong start to the season, IWU used 53 kills on a .300 showing to take down the Blue Jays (12-4), who finished with 42 kills on a .257 clip. The Green and White also notched the advantage in aces (11-7) and assists (51-40), while WC narrowly took the edge in blocks (7-6) and digs (42-38). 

Williams led the offense with 13 kills on a .385 attack percentage, while Kuziela and Provost posted 12 kills apiece. Kuziela finished with a .458 clip, committing just one attack error on 24 swings. Milka tied his career-high from the service line, as he was behind five of IWU's seven aces.

Kuziela finished with 29 assists and narrowly missed his third straight triple-double, as he tallied eight digs. Reutter was second with 18 helpers. Zima closed out his strong day with 15 digs to lead the defense, while Williams' nine was the second-most by a Titan. Quinn added three more blocks to his young career to lead the net defense. 

Kuziela found Provost for a kill, who smashed the ball through the block to put IWU ahead, 12-11. The kill began a pivotal 6-1 spark for the Titans. Going back to the line to serve, Provost's serve was mishandled, and Milka made the Blue Jays pay as he buried the opportunity. Westminster followed an attack error with a sideout, but Kuziela got the ball back for the Green and White with a kill. Milka purred an ace on the ensuing point, forcing the Blue Jays to burn a timeout. Out of the break, Milka fed Williams for a kill, making it 17-12 to complete the run. 

WC trimmed the gap to two, 22-20, but Illinois Wesleyan caught a break with a service error. Staying hot from the service line, Milka posted back-to-back aces to polish off the set in favor of the Titans, 25-20.

Falling in the second set, 25-19, the Green and White found its groove halfway through the set. Kuziela stuffed an attack to get a sideout, and IWU went on to take the next four points. After an attack error, Kuziela once again single-handedly rejected the Blue Jays, and Rohlwing crushed a set from Reutter to put the home team in front, 17-16, causing Westminster to call timeout. Milka served up another ace to make it a two-point lead, 18-16.

Closing out the set with a 5-1 run, the late surge began with a service error to break a 20-20 stalemate. Quinn and Provost teamed up for a block to follow, and an attack error put the Titans ahead, 23-20, as WC used its final timeout. The break got a needed sideout for the visitors, back-to-back Provost kills gave the Green and White the swing set, 25-21. 

Jumping ahead 4-0 to begin the fourth, IWU's cruise in the set was put on hold when Westminster tied it at 15. A common combo for the Titans, Kuziela dished a set to Provost for a kill, who smashed it down to make it 16-15. The Green and White took four of the next five points via two WC miscues, a Kuziela kill, and another Milka ace to make it 20-16. 

With the set remaining close, a Williams kill put the match in reach, as set four stood at 23-20. Provost and Quinn sent a Blue Jays attack back for a block to cue match point, and Quinn called game as he downed a set from Kuziela to finalize the fourth, 25-21. 

The Titans turn their attention to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play, as they travel to No. 3 Carthage College for the CCIW opener Thursday night, Feb. 19. First serve inside Tarble Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
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