Currently sitting at No. 17 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association polls and No. 12 in the NCAA Power Index rankings, the IWU men’s volleyball team is set to host the semi-finals of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championship tournament on April 8, 2026.
This season has been a historic one for the Titans. For individual milestones, there’s almost too many to mention, so we’ll just give you the hits. Junior setter Brenden Ruetter reached 1,000 assists against Loras on March 25, 2026. Earlier in the season, first-year Aydin Provost broke now-assistant coach Mike Eastman’s record of single-match kills, raising the bar from 23 to 25. Sophomore setter Ethan Kuziela has been raking in the recognition all year, earning five CCIW Setter of the Week accolades starting on January 19, 2026. His sixth and most recent accolade came the week of March 30, when the program picked up their first conference honor sweep in history. Kuziela took Hitter of the Week, Ruetter grabbed Setter of the Week and sophomore middle blocker Gavin Rohlwing took home Defensive Player of the week. Provost has also claimed Hitter of the Week three times this season.
Back in February, the team locked down their best start in program history, going 12-3. As of Friday, April 3, they’ve improved to 21-4, 8-1 in CCIW play. The Titans also found themselves in the AVCA polls for the first time ever the week of March 17, coming in at No. 20. The week of March 15, they cracked into the NPI rankings at No. 14.
As only a six year program, the strides that the men’s team has made on the court and within the team culture have been consistently improving. “The program has definitely grown since I’ve been here at IWU. The overall skill level has increased and our ability to deal with being down in a match and coming back has as well.” Said junior captain Bryce Williams.
From a coaching standpoint, you can tell a lot about the success of the program from the moment the team sets foot in the gym. Having as deep of a roster as the Titans do adds to the competition in practice and shows itself in games during high-pressure situations.
“Every day in practice everyone wants to continue to get better and work on their craft and get an opportunity to plug in these big matches. We need everybody. Everyone’s finding the role that fits them for right now and they’re still striving to get better.” Said head coach Brandon Mueller.
This year’s CCIW tournament semi-final will be the first time IWU has ever hosted and the first time the Titans have ever appeared in the tournament in their six-year history.
“Going into next week is unfamiliar territory for us all. It’s also exciting, and after Saturday’s matches, you’re completely focused on whoever the opponent is while playing at home.” Mueller said.
The players themselves are excited to make history and experience something that the IWU men’s volleyball program has never experienced before. Especially within the electric environment playing in the Shirk Center brings.
“We are super stoked to be in the tournament, let alone getting to host the first game. We can’t wait to play at home and be able to compete in our first postseason game with our fans in the stands.” Said sophomore captain Ben Zima.
