The No. 20 Illinois Wesleyan University men’s volleyball team will travel to North Central College for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin match on March 28, following a win over No. 10 Loras College earlier in the week.
This matchup is important as a victory would secure Illinois Wesleyan hosting rights for a CCIW Tournament Semifinal and guarantee the team’s first postseason appearance, as well as its first-ever 20-win season.
The Titans currently hold a record of 19-4 overall and are 6-1 in conference play. Their recent sweep against Loras extended their winning streak to seven matches. Sophomore Ethan Kuziela led with 14 kills and contributed across several statistical categories, while junior Brenden Reutter surpassed the milestone of 1,000 career assists during the match. The team’s offensive performance included hitting .423 for the night, with defensive contributions from Ben Zima, Bryce Williams, and Gavin Rohlwing.
Illinois Wesleyan leads NCAA Division III in kills per set at an average of 13.44, according to the official website. Kuziela tops the roster with 270 kills this season, followed closely by freshman Aydin Provost and Williams. The Titans also feature one of Division III’s best setter tandems; their average of 12.30 assists per set ranks third nationally within their division.
Defensively, Zima leads with an average of nearly three digs per set while Rohlwing and Kuziela are tied for most blocks on the team this season. Saturday’s contest will be only the twelfth meeting between Illinois Wesleyan and North Central; earlier this year, IWU recorded its first win over NCC after previously losing ten times in series history.
Illinois Wesleyan participates at the NCAA Division III level according to its official website, competing as part of intercollegiate athletics within the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin according to school sources. The program features student-athletes from all undergraduate years under head coach Brandon Mueller as reported by IWU Athletics.
Home matches are held at Shirk Center in Bloomington according to official information. Saturday’s match against North Central will be streamed live online.
