NAPERVILLE — The previous week of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men’s volleyball schedule included movement in national rankings, the announcement of weekly conference honors and several non-conference matchups that helped define the league’s early-season profile. 
 
Carthage and Loras continued to stack quality results against ranked competition, while Illinois Wesleyan, North Central and Augustana each posted important wins as the calendar turns toward the next phase of the season.
 
Bartz and the Birds: A Coastal Trip
Carthage carried its No. 2 national ranking into an East Coast trip and finished 2-1 against a challenging slate. The Firebirds opened the week on Thursday with a four-set setback to No. 3 Stevens (25-22, 21-25, 16-25, 23-25) after taking the first set. Senior outside hitter Ryan Bartz led the match with 21 kills.
 
Carthage responded on Saturday with straight-set wins over No. 12 Vassar and Widener in Poughkeepsie. Bartz recorded 15 kills against Vassar while hitting .333 and was later named CCIW Hitter of the Week. Ben Heise added 15 kills across the doubleheader, while setter Ryan Morey totaled 32 assists over the two matches. The Firebirds moved to No. 3 in the latest AVCA poll, with production at the net highlighted by Hudson Sweitzer’s four blocks against Stevens.
 
Duhawks on the Rise: Showcase Showdown in Springfield
Loras went 3-1 at the Springfield Showcase in Ohio with wins over Illinois Tech, Bridgewater and host Wittenberg. The Duhawks’ lone loss came in five sets to No. 5 Southern Virginia. Connor Jaral totaled 15 kills and three aces in the match, while Roman Rothermel posted 16 kills in the win over Wittenberg.
 
The weekend helped Loras move up to No. 12 in the national rankings. Setter Evan Dziadkowiec continues to lead the CCIW at 10.54 assists per set, while Bo Brainerd III enters the week atop the league in hitting percentage at .512.
 
Titan Turnaround: Ranked Foe Falls Sunday
Illinois Wesleyan split two matches with a five-set road loss at Dominican last Thursday and a straight-set home win over No. 19 MSOE on Sunday (25-20, 27-25, 25-16). Bryce Williams recorded 16 kills in the Dominican match. The MSOE result marked one of the program’s most notable ranked wins.
 
Sophomore setter Ethan Kuziela earned CCIW Setter of the Week after averaging 5.38 assists and 2.25 kills per set while hitting .333 over the two matches. Against MSOE, Kuziela had nine kills on 17 attempts with no errors (.529). Defensively, Gavin Rohlwing finished with four blocks in the sweep.
 
Cardinal Rules: Mactal's Block Party and Viking Valor
North Central and Augustana each posted 2-0 weeks through different paths. The Cardinals swept Wisconsin Lutheran on Friday and won in four sets against Calvin on Saturday. Chris Mactal totaled 11 blocks across the two matches and was named CCIW Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week. Mactal’s six blocks against Calvin tied for the sixth-highest single-match total in program history. Brannen Almarales contributed 13 kills and five blocks against Wisconsin Lutheran.
 
Augustana earned consecutive five-set wins, defeating MSOE last Saturday and Benedictine on Tuesday. Aidan Bolen recorded 18 kills against MSOE, while Cole Clarke led the Vikings against Benedictine with 14 kills and seven digs.
 
By the Numbers: The Conference Kings
Through the week, several CCIW individuals paced the league statistically. Bartz led the conference in kills per set (3.96) and points per set (4.58). Mactal averaged a league-best 1.12 blocks per set, while Jonathan Brown led the CCIW at 3.40 digs per set. Brainerd III ranked first in hitting percentage (.512), followed by Sweitzer (.423) and Rothermel (.420). Illinois Wesleyan led the conference in aces per set (1.77), narrowly ahead of Carthage (1.76).
 
The Crystal Ball: Standings and What's Ahead
As of Wednesday, Loras (9-1) held the top overall record, followed by Carthage (8-1). Illinois Wesleyan (9-3) and North Central (6-2) each carried .750 winning percentages, while Augustana (3-2) continued to build momentum. North Park (1-10) remained in search of a breakthrough following a week that included losses to Mount Union, Aurora and Marian.
 
Upcoming matches include North Central at Dominican and Illinois Wesleyan at Concordia Wisconsin on Thursday. Carthage is scheduled to host a top-10 matchup against UC Santa Cruz on Friday at Tarble Arena. Loras will also return to action with a Friday night match at Aurora as teams continue positioning for the start of conference play.