On Saturday, February 1, the Illinois Wesleyan men’s volleyball team hosted their second triangular at the Shirk Center. The Titans faced off against Illinois Institute of Technology, who held a record of 0-3, and Trine University, who held a record of 3-4 before the tournament. Illinois Wesleyan went into the tournament 6-1, and left 7-2.
The Titans played Illinois Tech at 11a.m., and prevailed over the Scarlet Hawks three sets to one. The match was a close battle, with both teams trading points in each set.
Illinois Wesleyan got on the board first, with a service ace from sophomore setter Brenden Reutter. The Titans stayed one point ahead of the Scarlet Hawks for the first few volleys, setting the score three to four. Two attack errors on the Titans side gave Illinois Tech the advantage, but a kill from sophomore outside hitter Patrick Dasbach gave IWU the lead once again.
The two teams fought it out in a close first set, but smart plays and five kills from sophomore outside hitter Bryce Williams kept the Titans in the game. A kill from senior middle blocker Jake Kougan and an attack error on Illinois Tech’s side handed Illinois Wesleyan the first set, 25-22.
The second set proved to be more of a challenge for the Titans, as they trailed behind Illinois Tech until a kill from first-year middle blocker Gavin Rohlwing gave them the lead 12-11. The second set was another tight game, but the Scarlet Hawks were one step ahead. Illinois Wesleyan dropped the set 23-25 and shifted their focus onto the third.
“We really work on being able to refocus after every point when we’re in the huddle,” Williams said. “We just need to make sure that we’re communicating the right way during the point, it makes it really easy to stay focused.”
The refocus helped the Titans get their momentum back for the last two sets. Three easy points at the top of the third set helped establish an early lead, with an error by Illinois Tech and kills from Rohlwing and first year outside hitter Trey Marek. Illinois Wesleyan held onto their advantage for the entirety of the set. A kill from Reutter ended the third set 25-19.
The fourth set was another close fight, with the Titans leading in the first half. Illinois Wesleyan quickly secured ten points, but Illinois Tech was quick to catch up. An ace from the Scarlet Hawks evened out the score, and three consecutive kills gave them the lead. But errors from Illinois Tech and a kill from Dasbach allowed the Titans to get their lead back. After a few close points, a kill from Rohlwing allowed Illinois Wesleyan to pull ahead, and they won the fourth set 25-21, winning the match 3-1.
Last season, the Titans took on Illinois Tech on the Scarlet Hawk’s home court in Chicago. “Last year we went to five sets with Illinois Tech, so beating them in four shows our progress as a team.” Williams said.
The first match against Illinois Tech also puts the team and Brenden Reutter down in Titan athletics history. The team broke the record for most kills in a four-set match, upping it to 62, the most in program history. Williams contributed 16 of these kills, and Rohlwing ended with 12. Reutter is now tied for the third-most assists in a match, with 32.
“It feels great for me and it feels great for my other setter, Vinny,” Ruetter said, giving props to his teammate, senior setter Vince Dicosola. Setters have to communicate seamlessly during the match, so collaboration between Reutter and Dicosola is essential for play to run smoothly.
After their first match, the Titans got a break while Illinois Tech faced off against Trine University. Trine bested Illinois Tech in a long five set match that ended 3-2, and Illinois Wesleyan prepared to face Trine.
The Titan’s second match was a close fight, but the Thunder fought harder. The two teams pushed each other into extra points in the first set, but Trine took the win 28-30. The Thunder gained momentum throughout the match and Illinois Wesleyan lost the match 0-3.
After the loss, the team is looking towards what they can improve on going forward. “We really need to improve our blocking and our defense. Hitting was pretty good today overall, but we need to get better at defense,” Reutter said. His teammates shared that sentiment.
“Our blocking was a little iffy throughout the whole game,” Rohlwing said, “There’s a lot to work on, but I’m sure we’ll be up to the challenge.”
Gavin Rohlwing, who was named CCIW Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 3, is quite modest about his own blocking expertise. Rohlwing is currently ranked 16th in Division III for blocks per set, averaging 1.033 per set. This record puts him in the lead in the CCIW. Across four sets in the last week of January, he contributed 20 blocks, averaging 1.33 per set. Rohlwing’s Defensive Player of the Week honor gives the team their first weekly honor since April of 2023.
The Titans will travel to Springfield, Mass. for the Morgan Classic against Arcadia University, Springfield College, and New York University on February 14 and 15. The team will return to the Shirk Center on February 18 to face North Central in their first conference matchup at 7 p.m.