NAPERVILLE — The final full week of January offered another clear snapshot of where the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) stands nationally as the men’s volleyball season continues to take shape. 
 
Undefeated starts by league contenders, nationally recognized individual performances and record-setting efforts across multiple programs highlighted a week that reinforced the CCIW’s presence on the Division III stage, both statistically and competitively.
 
Bartz Blazes a National Trail for the Firebirds
Carthage continued its strong start to the season as Ryan Bartz earned AVCA Division III Men’s Player of the Week honors, anchoring a Firebirds squad that improved to 5-0. Carthage opened the stretch with a 3-0 road sweep at Concordia Wisconsin last Thursday, posting a .432 team hitting percentage. Hudson Sweitzer led the attack with 12 kills on 13 attempts without an error, finishing at .923 for the match.
 
The Firebirds followed with a 3-1 victory over No. 10 Aurora on Wednesday in a rematch of last season’s NCAA Tournament meeting. Bartz recorded a match-high 16 kills, while Ryan Morey directed the offense with 46 assists. Defensively, Austin Mallory led the back row with 13 digs as Carthage maintained its No. 2 national ranking.
 
Dziadkowiec Dishes Out Perfection in Duhawk Sweep
Loras matched Carthage at 5-0 with a week of road victories, led by sophomore setter Evan Dziadkowiec, who was named CCIW Setter of the Week on Monday. Dziadkowiec totaled 165 assists over 15 sets, highlighted by a 48-assist performance in a five-set win over MSOE last Friday. He also added 13 digs in that match.
 
Loras went on to sweep host Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Illinois Tech at the UWSP Invitational last Sunday. Connor Jaral recorded 17 kills against the Pointers, while the Duhawks closed the match by winning a 32-30 third set. Through five matches, Loras leads the conference in blocks per set (2.22), paced by Roman Rothermel’s league-best 1.11 blocks per set.
 
A Cardinal Block Party and Defensive Masterclass
North Central opened its home schedule on Jan. 22 with a 3-1 win over Concordia Chicago, recording 13 team blocks. Connor Davis posted nine kills and 3.5 blocks, while Chris Mactal added five blocks. Mactal averaged 1.25 blocks per set across two matches during the week and was named CCIW Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week.
 
After a four-set loss to Benedictine last Saturday, the Cardinals rebounded with a five-set win over Concordia Wisconsin on Tuesday. Junior libero Jonathan Brown set a program record with 25 digs. North Central also established a new single-match high with 71 team kills, led by Brannen Almarales’ 20 kills. Freshman Angelo Delgado distributed 48 assists in his collegiate debut.
 
Triple-Doubles and Turning Points
Illinois Wesleyan recorded two non-conference wins last week, highlighted by a 3-1 victory over Trine last Saturday. Sophomore Ethan Kuziela produced the third triple-double in program history with 16 kills, 24 assists and 10 digs. The Titans followed with a 3-0 win over Rockford on Tuesday, hitting .378 as a team. Aydin Provost posted eight kills on nine attempts without an error.
 
Elsewhere, Augustana earned its first win of the season with a straight-set victory over Edgewood on Tuesday. Cole Clarke led the Vikings with 13 kills, while Alexander Sulewski added 12 kills and two aces. North Park secured a 3-1 road win at Lakeland the same night, setting a program record with 13 blocks in a four-set match as Jan Dragan and Giovanni Serafini each recorded six blocks.
 
The Statistical Frontier: CCIW Among the Nation’s Elite
The CCIW continues to rank prominently in national statistical categories. Carthage sits ninth nationally in hitting percentage (.341), while Loras ranks 14th (.310). Illinois Wesleyan ranks third in Division III in both assists per set (12.52) and kills per set (13.79).
 
Individually, Dziadkowiec ranks second nationally in assists per set (10.56). Hudson Sweitzer is seventh in hitting percentage (.520), with Bo Brainerd III ranking 13th (.481). Jonathan Brown ranks ninth nationally in digs per set (3.33), Roman Rothermel is 21st in blocks per set (1.11) and Ryan Bartz ranks 18th in points per set (4.50).
 
Peering into the Crystal Ball: Upcoming Clashes on the Horizon
Carthage and Loras share the top spot in non-conference play at 5-0, with Illinois Wesleyan at 6-2 and North Central at 3-1. Conference play doesn’t begin until Feb. 19.
 
Upcoming non-conference matches include Carthage at Benedictine on Saturday, Loras hosting No. 10 Aurora the same day and North Central welcoming Wisconsin-Stevens Point and No. 9 Cal Lutheran to Naperville. 
 
Augustana travels to Wisconsin-Stevens Point next Tuesday, while North Park hosts Cal Lutheran on Thursday.