McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team is set to face North Park University in their final match of the 2024 season on Saturday, April 6. The game will commence at 2 p.m. at North Park Gymnasium.

Illinois Wesleyan's recent performance includes a three-set loss against No. 19 North Central College on April 3, bringing their record to 10-14 overall and 1-8 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW). Senior Michael Eastman led with 11 kills, supported by freshman Bryce Williams with seven. Senior Bradley Benson and freshman Brenden Reutter each contributed 12 assists.

Eastman is currently leading the Titans' offense with a total of 242 kills and a .258 attack percentage, averaging 3.27 kills per set. Williams follows with an average of 2.44 kills per set from his total of 176, while junior Jake Kougan has achieved 108 kills. Eastman also leads in service aces with a count of 27, trailed by Kougan with 17 and Benson with 13.

Junior Vince DiCosola tops the team's assist statistics with a total of 336 assists, averaging 4.80 per set. Reutter ranks second for assists within the team at 296, followed by Benson who has contributed 112 assists.

Defensively, sophomore Jace Milka has accumulated a team-high of 193 digs, averaging 2.41 per game. Eastman and Williams follow with totals of 120 and 98 digs respectively. At the net, Kougan leads in blocks with a total of 49, closely followed by senior Javier Romano's count of 45 and senior Julian Perez's tally of 34 blocks.

This upcoming match marks the tenth meeting between IWU and NPU, where North Park holds a historical advantage of seven wins to two losses against Illinois Wesleyan. The Titans claimed victory in their last encounter on March 2 in four sets. In that match-up, junior Ryan Myers tied for match-high kills alongside Eastman's contribution while DiCosola provided significant assistance alongside Reutter.

North Park enters this final matchup holding an overall record of eight wins against nineteen losses (1-8 CCIW), having recently faced defeat against Carthage College on April 3.

Live streaming options are available for those interested in following the match remotely along with access to live statistics online.