McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team is set to face off against Carthage College in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin match on Wednesday, March 27. The game will be held at the Shirk Center and marks the final home match for the Titans this season.

Illinois Wesleyan recently experienced a setback with a straight-set loss to Augustana College on March 24, bringing their overall record to 10-12 and 1-6 in conference play. In that match, senior Michael Eastman and freshman Bryce Williams each contributed eight kills. Notably, Eastman achieved his 1000th career point, making him the first player in program history to reach this milestone. Junior Vince DiCosola provided a team-high of 12 assists, while Williams led with seven digs.

Eastman has been leading the team's offense with 217 kills at an average of 3.19 per set and a .258 attack percentage. Williams follows with 157 kills, averaging 2.38 per set, and junior Jake Kougan ranks third with 103 kills. Eastman also leads in service aces with 25, followed by Kougan with 16 and senior Bradley Benson with 13. DiCosola has recorded the most assists for the team at 336, averaging 5.01 per set.

Defensively, sophomore Jace Milka has accumulated a team-high of 133 digs at an average of 2.39 per set. Eastman follows closely behind with 110 digs, while Williams rounds out the top three with 86 digs. Kougan leads in blocks with a total of 44, trailed by senior Javier Romano's tally of 40 blocks and Julian Perez's count of 31.

Carthage College has won all previous encounters between these two teams across seven meetings. Their latest matchup resulted in Carthage defeating Illinois Wesleyan in three sets on March 9 at Tarble Arena. During that contest, Eastman led his team again with eleven kills and seven digs; DiCosola added fifteen assists.

Heading into Wednesday's game against Illinois Wesleyan, Carthage holds an impressive record after sweeping North Central College on March 23—boosting their overall standing to thirteen wins against five losses and achieving five victories against one defeat within league matches.

The upcoming match will be available via live stream along with accessible live statistics online for those interested in following along remotely.