Illinois Wesleyan University’s men’s volleyball players Aydin Provost and Ethan Kuziela were named College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Players of the Week on March 23, marking the third time this season the duo has received the honor. Provost, a freshman, earned his fourth hitter of the week award, while sophomore Kuziela collected his fifth setter of the week accolade.
These recognitions bring Illinois Wesleyan’s total weekly conference honors to ten for the season. Provost previously won on Jan. 19, Feb. 2, and Feb. 16; Kuziela’s earlier awards came on Jan. 19, Feb. 9, Feb. 16, and March 2. Additionally, sophomore Ben Zima was named CCIW Defensive Player of the Week on March 9. Kuziela’s five setter awards tie a conference record set by North Central’s Tyler Donovan in 2024.
Provost led Illinois Wesleyan to a four-set victory over St. Norbert College on March 20 with standout statistics: “Provost recorded 17 kills, an average of 4.25 kills per set, doing so on a .429 clip,” according to Monday’s announcement. He also contributed eight blocks—two per set—and one dig for a total of twenty-two points as part of breaking the program’s single-match block record with seventeen rejections.
Kuziela supported the offense with eighteen kills at a .424 rate and added twenty-seven assists—averaging nearly seven per set—to complete a double-double performance in that match: “The sophomore also added two blocks and a pair of digs to his stat line.” The team is scheduled to host No.14 Loras College in Bloomington at Shirk Center—a facility where they play home matches—on Wednesday night for an important CCIW contest beginning at seven p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan Titans Men’s Volleyball participates at NCAA Division III level according to their official website. The team competes in intercollegiate athletics as part of CCIW according to their official website and features student-athletes from all undergraduate class years according to their official website. Brandon Mueller leads as head coach according to their official website.
The recognition reflects continued strong performances by both players this season as they help position Illinois Wesleyan among nationally ranked teams.
