DUBUQUE, IA - NCAA Men's Volleyball - Illinois Wesleyan at #11 Loras at Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center on March 04, 2026. Illinois Wesleyan earned their second top-20 win of the season, defeating No. 12 Loras (30-28, 17-25, 21-25, 25-19, 15-11). Ethan Kuziela hit .600 with 23 kills to lead the Titans. (Photo by Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative)

Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative

Men’s Volleyball Hosts North Park to Conclude First Half of CCIW Slate

Titans take on Vikings at 2 p.m.

3/6/2026 2:30:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team hosts North Park University Saturday, March 7, to conclude the first half of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin season. First serve is set for 2 p.m. inside Shirk Center.

The Titans (15-4, 3-1 CCIW) enter the weekend off a monumental win over No. 11 Loras College Wednesday night, March 4. It marked IWU's first win over the Duhawks, and the best ranked win in program history. The victory also puts the Titans in second place in CCIW standings nearing the halfway point. The match saw yet another dominant performance from sophomore Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist) as he finished with 23 kills on a .600 clip, along with tying for the team lead in assists with junior Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East), as both recorded 25. Sophomores Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) and Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington) powered a defense that limited LC to a .144 showing. Zima tallied a team-high 13 digs, while Rohlwing posted four blocks.

Entering Saturday's match, Illinois Wesleyan leads the nation in kills per set with an average of 13.55. Leading the way is freshman Aydin Provost (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel) with 229 kills, averaging 3.32 per set. His total stands 27 kills off the Titans' single-season record of 256, set by now-assistant coach Mike Eastman in the 2024 season. Kuziela sits second on the team with 209 kills, as he is averaging 2.94 kills per set on a .352 clip. Junior Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) rounds out the top three with 180 kills, an average of 2.95 per set. As a team, IWU is hitting .267 on the season, which ranks 24th in Division III. The same three hitters also lead the team in aces, with Kuziela holding the lead at 18. Williams and Provost are tied for second with 17 aces apiece.

The Green and White also lead the nation in assists per set with an average of 12.42. Kuziela sits atop the team with 477 assists, averaging 6.72 per set. The sophomore handingly leads the nation in triple-double performances, as he has recorded four this season. Reutter ranks second on the squad with 270 helpers, an average of 4.50 per set. The junior enters the match with 931 career assists, as he looks to become the second Titan to eclipse the 1000 career assists mark in the near future.

On the defensive end, Zima leads IWU with 197 digs, a mark that is 15 shy of the program's single-season record. Senior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) holds the record, as he finished the 2024 season with 212 digs. Zima's average of 2.77 digs per set is the 21st-best nationally. Kuziela is second with 130 digs, an average of 1.87 per set, followed by Williams with 96. Freshman Dylan Quinn (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove North) holds a team-high 43 blocks, while Kuziela closely trails with 41. Rohlwing rounds out the top three net defenders with 38 rejections this season.

Illinois Wesleyan will meet North Park (1-15, 0-4 CCIW) on the court for the 13th time. NPU holds the upperhand, 8-4, but the Titans are the winners of four of the last five, including the most recent in four sets March 19, 2025. That match saw Williams lead the team with 17 kills on a .387 showing. Vince DiCosola notched a team-best 32 assists, while three Titans finished with a team-high nine digs. Rohlwing tallied five blocks to lead the Green and White at the net. The Vikings come to town off a three-set loss to North Central College Wednesday night, March 4.

A live stream of the match, featuring Hayden Warfield and IWU women's volleyball sophomore Alex Bardouniotis on the broadcast, can be found here. Live stats can be followed by clicking here.

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