NAPERVILLE — The previous week of competition in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) brought additional separation in the standings as conference play expanded. Five programs recorded at least one win last week, including several results away from home and one notable upset. 
 
Carthage completed a three-win week and is now the lone unbeaten team in league play, while four teams remain grouped at 1-1 entering the final days of February. 
 
Road Victories and Five-Set Dramatics Define Last Week
Conference action continued last Thursday as Carthage earned a 3-1 win over Illinois Wesleyan. Ben Heise finished with a match-high 15 kills and Ryan Morey totaled 41 assists for the Firebirds. Illinois Wesleyan’s Ethan Kuziela posted a double-double with 11 kills and 20 assists.
 
Last Friday, Augustana defeated North Central 3-1 at home behind 13 kills from Bryce Lawson, who hit .357, and a then-school-record 40 assists from Colin Schaefer … Loras opened conference play on Saturday with a 3-0 sweep of North Park, led by 11 kills from Elijah Passey and 31 assists from Evan Dziadkowiec … Also on Saturday, Carthage earned a 3-1 win over No. 4 Cal Lutheran in non-conference play as Ryan Bartz recorded 14 kills and four blocks, and Morey added 45 assists.
 
Augustana extended its run of results on Monday with a 3-1 win over St. Ambrose. Aidan Bolen led the effort with 16 kills, while Schaefer produced 49 assists … The schedule on Wednesday included two conference outcomes that tightened the standings. North Central won 3-2 on the road at No. 10 Loras as Brannen Almarales tied a program record with 22 kills and Angelo Delgado recorded 48 assists. Loras was led by 16 kills from Bo Brainerd III and a career-high 53 assists from Dziadkowiec.
 
Also on Wednesday, Illinois Wesleyan won 3-1 at Augustana to set a program record for single-season wins. Kuziela totaled 14 kills and 31 assists, while Wilson Spaulding and Gavin Rohlwing each finished with four blocks … Carthage won on Wednesday with a 3-0 road sweep of North Park, paced by Joe Kolwicz’s 30 assists and six kills from Justin Ische.
 
Individual Standouts Anchor Statistical Leadership in February Window
Several individual performances during the previous week contributed to program marks and conference-wide production. North Central’s Brannen Almarales recorded 22 kills on Wednesday at Loras, marking the sixth double-double of his season and tying for the fourth-most kills in a single match in program history.
 
Carthage junior Ben Heise was named CCIW Hitter of the Week after posting 15 kills in the conference opener against Illinois Wesleyan last Thursday and repeating that total against Cal Lutheran on Saturday … Augustana setter Colin Schaefer earned CCIW Setter of the Week honors after setting a school record with 40 assists against North Central on Friday, then following with 49 assists, a season-high 16 digs, and the win over St. Ambrose on Monday.
 
Carthage junior Owen Hendricks received Defensive Player of the Week recognition after totaling 19 digs across two matches, including 10 digs in the Saturday win over Cal Lutheran … Illinois Wesleyan’s Ethan Kuziela continued his all-around output on Wednesday at Augustana with 14 kills, 31 assists, six digs and three blocks … Defensively, North Central’s Jonathan Brown recorded 15 digs in last Friday’s match at Augustana, tying for the seventh-most digs in a four-set match in program history.
 
Programs Maintain Presence on National and Conference Stat Sheets
CCIW programs remain represented in national poll and statistical categories. In Tuesday’s AVCA Division III Men’s Volleyball Poll, Carthage moved up to No. 3 after opening conference play 2-0 and defeating then-No. 4 California Lutheran. The Firebirds rank second nationally in team hitting percentage at .325 and seventh nationally in kills per set at 12.90. 
 
Loras held the No. 10 position in the same poll following its conference-opening sweep of North Park, while Illinois Wesleyan appeared among teams receiving votes.
 
Individually, Illinois Wesleyan’s Ethan Kuziela has recorded four double-doubles this season … Within the conference, Ben Heise has led Carthage with 15 kills in consecutive matches, and Colin Schaefer continues to direct an Augustana offense averaging nearly 11 assists per set.
 
Unbeaten Carthage Leads a Narrowly Separated Conference Table
As of Friday, Carthage is the only undefeated team in conference play at 2-0 and is 11-2 overall. Four programs are tied for second place with 1-1 league records: Loras (12-2 overall), Illinois Wesleyan (13-4 overall), Augustana (6-4 overall) and North Central (7-6 overall). North Park is 0-2 in conference play and 1-13 overall.
 
Conference Matchups Feature League Leaders and Standings Ties
The upcoming schedule includes matchups with direct impact on the conference table. On Saturday, No. 3 Carthage will host No. 10 Loras in a meeting between the conference’s highest-ranked programs. Carthage will attempt to remain unbeaten in league play, while Loras enters the match tied for second place.
 
Also on Saturday, North Central will travel to Illinois Wesleyan in a matchup of two teams tied at 1-1 in the standings. The contest includes two of the league’s leading performers in Illinois Wesleyan’s Ethan Kuziela and North Central’s Brannen Almarales. Augustana will play at North Park on Saturday as both teams look to improve their conference positioning.
 
Looking ahead, Loras will host Illinois Wesleyan next Wednesday in another matchup between teams currently tied for second place. North Central will host North Park that same evening.
 
School Records and Program Highs Highlight February Competition
The week included several program benchmarks. Illinois Wesleyan’s Wednesday win at Augustana was its 13th victory of the season, establishing a new program record for single-season wins … Augustana’s Colin Schaefer set a school record with 40 assists in a four-set match last Friday against North Central … Loras’ Evan Dziadkowiec posted a career-high 53 assists in the five-set match versus North Central on Wednesday.
 
North Central’s Brannen Almarales tied a program single-match mark for fourth place with 22 kills on Wednesday … Carthage’s Devon O’Callaghan matched a season high with nine digs in Wednesday’s road sweep at North Park.