The Illinois Wesleyan University men’s volleyball team recorded a three-set victory over North Park University on Saturday, March 7, in Bloomington, Illinois. All sets ended with the same score of 25-22. This win marks the Titans’ fourth College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) victory this season, setting a new program record for most conference wins in a single season with five matches remaining.
Illinois Wesleyan now holds an overall record of 16-4 and is 4-1 in CCIW play. The team participates at the NCAA Division III level and is part of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, according to its official website. Home matches are played at the Shirk Center in Bloomington.
Sophomore Ethan Kuziela led the offense with 12 kills on a .304 hitting percentage. Freshman Stan Peck contributed seven kills, his career best, while junior Bryce Williams and sophomore Wilson Spaulding each added five kills. Kuziela also tallied two service aces, and junior Brenden Reutter had one ace.
Reutter orchestrated much of the offense with a team-high 18 assists. Kuziela completed a double-double by adding 13 assists himself. On defense, sophomore Ben Zima tied the program record for digs in a three-set match with 13. Reutter followed with five digs; Williams and senior Jace Milka had four each. Spaulding and Kuziela led in blocks with three apiece.
As a team, Illinois Wesleyan finished ahead in digs (33-29), while North Park led slightly in kills (35-34), assists (34-32), blocks (6-5), and aces (4-3). North Park ended the match hitting .209.
During the first set, Illinois Wesleyan overcame a late deficit by going on a decisive run after trailing 19-15. The Titans eventually won that set after key plays from Reutter, Kuziela, Milka, Spaulding, and Peck.
In set two, Spaulding’s kill tied it at 20 before consecutive points from Kuziela—including his second ace—helped secure another 25-22 win following several errors by North Park.
The third set saw IWU pull away early but face resistance as North Park evened it at 18-all. A kill from freshman Dylan Quinn put IWU back ahead for good before Spaulding scored match point off an assist from Kuziela. A block by Kuziela and Peck closed out both the set and match.
Illinois Wesleyan’s roster features student-athletes across all undergraduate class years under head coach Brandon Mueller (source). The Titans will next host Augustana College for another CCIW contest on Wednesday night at Shirk Center (source).
