The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team faced setbacks on the second day of the IWU Invitational, suffering defeats against Edgewood College and Wabash College. The Titans, now holding a 7-4 record, endured a narrow loss to Edgewood (22-25, 25-20, 25-15, 23-25, 19-17) before being swept by Wabash (25-18, 25-16, 25-14).
In their match against Edgewood College, junior Jake Kougan from Frankfort and sophomore Jace Milka from Bolingbrook achieved career-highs despite the loss. Kougan led with 15 kills while Milka recorded 20 digs. Junior Vince DiCosola was noted for his assists with a total of 28. Freshman Bryce Williams contributed seven digs and seven kills.
Illinois Wesleyan hit at .130 as a team compared to Edgewood's .165 but managed more kills with a count of 56 over Edgewood's 49. However, Edgewood outperformed in aces and blocks.
The first set saw Illinois Wesleyan narrowly taking it with a score of 25-22. Despite hitting lower than their opponents in terms of percentage (.077 to .094), they managed to secure an early lead through effective plays by Luke Hartke and Jake Kougan.
Following losses in the second and third sets, Illinois Wesleyan fought back in the fourth set to prolong the match. Timely plays allowed them to gain an edge before eventually losing in a close fifth set where both teams exchanged leads multiple times.
Against Wabash College later that day, Illinois Wesleyan struggled to find momentum resulting in a straight-set defeat. They were held to an attacking percentage of .108 while Wabash achieved a .373 clip.
Kougan once again showed strong performance with eight kills on a .545 clip. Williams added six kills while freshman Brenden Reutter provided eleven assists for the team.
Looking ahead, Illinois Wesleyan aims for recovery as they prepare to face Concordia Wisconsin on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for their next non-conference match.
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