Wilson Spaulding starting lineup April 8, 2026

Audrey Peterson

Men’s Volleyball Heads to Carthage for CCIW Tournament Championship

Titans to make first appearance in title game

4/10/2026 1:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Amid a historic season, the 16th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team will travel to No. 3 Carthage College for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Championship Saturday, April 11. The nationally-ranked matchup, which will see the winner earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, is set to begin at 5 p.m. inside Tarble Arena.

The Titans (22-5), who earned the second seed in the tournament after posting an 8-2 record in CCIW play, will make their first tournament championship appearance, just days after playing and winning their first postseason match. IWU swept No. 10 nationally and third-seeded Loras College inside Shirk Center Wednesday, April 8, to punch its ticket to the title match. The top-seeded Firebirds (21-3, 9-1 CCIW) will make their fifth straight appearance in the championship bout, as they have made every title game since the tournament's inception in 2021. The CCIW's inaugural men's volleyball tournament was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Carthage has won the championship match three times, previously taking the crown in 2021, 2022, and 2025. CC notched its appearance after sweeping No. 4 seed North Central College Wednesday night, April 8.

Illinois Wesleyan took down the Duhawks for the third time this season, led by 10 kills from freshman Aydin Provost (Chicago, Ill.-Mount Carmel), the league's Newcomer of the Year. Sophomore Ethan Kuziela (Chicago, Ill.-Marist), a First Team All-CCIW honoree, showed why he was a CCIW Setter of the Year candidate, as he led the Titans with 20 assists and four aces, while adding eight kills, seven digs, and three blocks. Freshman Dylan Quinn (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove North) tied Kuziela for the team-high in rejections, also finishing with three, while sophomore Ben Zima (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard South) totaled a team-best 12 digs.

One of the most dominant offenses in the nation, the Green and White leads Division III in kills per set (13.48) and assists per set (12.40). Kuziela tops the team with 316 digs, averaging 3.19 per set on a .336 clip. Provost follows with 305 kills, an average of 3.24 per set, while junior Bryce Williams (Chicago, Ill.-Whitney M. Young) rounds out the top three with 236 kills, averaging 2.68 per set. Kuziela and junior Brenden Reutter (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) have orchestrated the majority of the offense all season, as the setter duo has helped the Titans hit .275 as a team, the 22nd-best mark in the country. Kuziela leads the way with 621 assists, averaging 6.27 per set, while Reutter follows with 441 assists, an average of 5.01 per set. Kuziela also guides IWU at the service line with 29 assists, followed closely by senior Jace Milka (Bolingbrook, Ill.-Plainfield East) with 28. Williams sits third on the squad with 20 aces.

Defensively, Zima's 280 digs tops the team, as his average of 2.83 digs per set ranks 18th in Division III. Kuziela follows with 179, while Williams is third with 139. Sophomore Gavin Rohlwing (Tower Lake, Ill.-Barrington) holds the team-lead in blocks with 70. Kuziela closely follows with 68 rejections, and Provost's 51 stuffs puts him third. Averaging 2.06 blocks per set, the Titans rank 21st nationally in the category. The tough defense has helped IWU limit opponents to a .188 clip on the year.

Illinois Wesleyan will meet Carthage on the court for the 13th time, with CC having won all 12 previous contests. A closely contested bout fell in favor of the Firebirds Saturday, April 4, as they won in straight sets with scores of 25-23, 26-24, 26-24, to claim the CCIW Regular Season Championship. Williams, Kuziela, and Provost led IWU in kills with nine apiece, while Reutter dished out a team-best 16 assists to go along with a pair of aces. Kuziela's eight digs were the most on the team, and Rohlwing led the net defense with five blocks.

Carthage will be live streaming the match, which can be found here, while live stats can be accessed by clicking here.

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