Bryce Williams starting lineup March 11, 2026 against Augustana

Audrey Peterson

No. 20 Men’s Volleyball Hosts No. 10 Loras for Top-20 Battle

Titans ranked 20th in latest AVCA Poll

3/24/2026 3:30:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The No. 20 Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team will host No. 10 Loras College for a top-20 showdown inside Shirk Center Wednesday, March 24. The key College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin match is scheduled for 7 p.m.

A week removed from their first national ranking in program history, the Titans (18-4, 5-1 CCIW) checked in at No. 20 in the newest American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll, announced Tuesday, March 24. IWU is one of X CCIW institutions ranked, joining third-ranked Carthage College, and No. 10 Loras (17-4, 3-3 CCIW). Both holding records of 5-1 in league play, the Green and White is tied for Carthage at the top of the conference standings entering Wednesday night.

One of the most efficient offenses in the nation, Illinois Wesleyan leads the country in kills per set with an average of 13.45. Freshman Aydin Provost (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel), the reigning CCIW Hitter of the Week, leads the way with 259 kills, breaking the program's single-season record of 256, set by now-assistant coach Mike Eastman in 2024. The freshman phenom is averaging 3.32 kills per set on a .297 clip. Sophomore Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist), the defending CCIW Setter of the Week, is second on the squad with 256 kills, an average of 3.08 per set, doing so on a dominant .341 attack percentage. Junior Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) rounds out the top three hitters with 202 kills, as he is averaging 2.77 per set.

The Green and White also rank top-five in Division III in assists per set, as its average of 12.33 ranks third nationally. Kuziela sits atop the team with 541 assists with an average of 6.51 assists per set. Junior Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) is second with 338 assists, averaging 4.69 per set, and looks to become the second Titan to eclipse the 1000 career assists mark, as he enters with 999 to his name. At the service line, senior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) leads the team with 21 aces, followed by 20 from Williams and Kuziela.

Defensively, sophomore Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) leads the team with 235 digs, as his average of 2.83 per set ranks 18th in the country. Kuziela follows with 141, an average of 1.70 per set, while Williams' 115 digs round out the top three. Kuziela also leads the team in blocks with 49 rejections, closely followed by sophomore Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington) with 48. Provost's 46 rejections rank him third on the team.

IWU and Loras will face off for the 12th time, with the Duhawks holding an 11-1 edge. Illinois Wesleyan took the most recent meeting, winning in five sets on the road for the upset Wednesday, March 4, as LC came into the match ranked 11th nationally. Kuziela led the offense with 23 kills, and tied for the team-lead in assists, as he and Reutter each tallied 25. Zima led the defense with 13 digs, while Rohlwing notched a team-best four blocks. LC most recently upset No. 1 Carthage, winning the five-setter Saturday, March 21.

A live stream, featuring Matt Sosler and IWU women's volleyball sophomore Alex Bardouniotis, can be found by clicking here. Live stats can be accessed here.

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