McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team faced a challenging match against the fourth-ranked Loras College, resulting in a loss on Wednesday night. The match took place in Dubuque, Iowa, as part of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) competition. With this defeat, Illinois Wesleyan's record fell to 10-11 overall and 1-5 within the conference. The Titans lost by set scores of 25-15, 25-22, and 25-16. Meanwhile, Loras College improved its impressive record to 19-0 overall and 6-0 in league standings.

Key performances for Illinois Wesleyan included senior Michael Eastman from Chicago, who led with nine kills. Freshman Bryce Williams also from Chicago contributed eight kills with an attacking percentage of .467. Junior Vince DiCosola from Aurora provided a team-high of 15 assists, while freshman Brenden Reutter from Frankfort added another 11 assists.

Defensively, DiCosola was the team's leader with four digs. Junior Jake Kougan also from Frankfort recorded the only block for Illinois Wesleyan during the match.

Overall, the Titans achieved 30 kills with an attacking percentage of .143. They also managed to secure 14 digs and three aces throughout the game. In contrast, Loras College demonstrated strong performance with a .548 hitting percentage and accumulated 40 kills along with leading in defensive statistics with 20 digs and six blocks.

Looking ahead, Illinois Wesleyan aims to recover from this setback when they face Augustana College on Sunday, March 24. This upcoming match will mark their first Senior Day event at home, scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., preceded by a recognition ceremony.