McLean County Times

In their final match of the 2024 season, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's volleyball team secured a victory against North Park University in Chicago. The Titans concluded their season with an overall record of 11-14, matching last year's program win record.

The team triumphed over North Park in four sets with scores of 25-23, 25-18, 21-25, and 25-20. Senior Michael Eastman and freshman Bryce Williams led the offensive efforts with 14 and 12 kills respectively. Junior Luke Hartke contributed nine kills while senior Alec Mucha achieved seven on a .500 attack percentage.

Junior Vince DiCosola and senior Bradley Benson were pivotal in orchestrating the offense. DiCosola recorded 23 assists, while Benson added 19 assists and two aces. Sophomore Jace Milka led defensively with 19 digs, closely followed by Williams who achieved his first collegiate double-double performance with ten digs.

Senior Javier Romano tied his career-high with six blocks to lead the team's net defense. Mucha finished with five blocks, while Hartke had four.

Illinois Wesleyan overcame a first-set deficit by scoring five consecutive points to secure the set at 25-23. The second set was tightly contested until Williams initiated a decisive run that helped IWU take control and win the set at 25-18.

After losing the third set at 21-25, IWU regained momentum in the fourth set through strong plays from Mucha and Eastman. The Titans executed an impressive run to establish a significant lead before sealing the final set at 25-20.

This match marked the end of careers for several seniors including Benson, Eastman, Mucha, Romano, Blake McGlashan-Bryant, KJ Johnson, Adam Blackmore, Michael Anderson, and Julian Perez. Head coach Brandon Mueller will have twelve returning members from this year’s squad for next season.