NAPERVILLE — The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) continues to feature one of Division III’s most competitive men’s volleyball races, with national recognition extending across multiple programs and statistical categories. 
 
Carthage moved to the top of the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll, while Illinois Wesleyan continued its rise with votes in the national rankings and Loras returned to form with a strong week of non-conference results.
 
Top of the World: Carthage Claims the National Number One
Carthage moved to No. 1 in the latest AVCA Division III Men’s Volleyball Poll on Tuesday, collecting 21 first-place votes to reclaim the top spot in the national rankings for the first time since January 2023. The ranking marks the 24th time in program history that the Firebirds have held the nation’s top position. Carthage proved that standing with a pair of straight-set victories last week, first defeating St. Norbert before earning a road sweep at Augustana.
 
In the win over the Vikings, Carthage turned in one of its most efficient offensive performances of the season, hitting .421 as a team. The Firebirds were especially effective in the second set, recording 17 kills on 27 attempts with just one error for a .630 hitting percentage. Ryan Bartz finished with a match-high 15 kills, while Ryan Morey directed the offense with 45 assists, his first 40-plus assist performance in a three-set match this season.
 
Titan Momentum: Illinois Wesleyan’s Historic Ascent
Illinois Wesleyan continued to build on the strongest stretch in program history and is now receiving votes in the AVCA poll with 24 points. The Titans’ recent rise has been highlighted by a March 4 win over Loras, which stood as the highest-ranked victory in program history. Illinois Wesleyan followed that result with a five-set home win over Augustana and a sweep of North Park to extend its winning streak to five matches.
 
A major factor in the Titans’ success has been the all-around production of Ethan Kuziela. The sophomore setter/opposite matched a school record with 23 kills in the win over Loras and has recorded four triple-doubles this season, the highest total in Division III. Among those performances was a 20-kill, 12-dig, 27-assist effort against North Central. Illinois Wesleyan enters the weekend in second place in the conference standings and remains one of the league’s most productive offensive teams.
 
Duhawks Direct a Recovery: Loras Snaps the Skid
Loras, ranked No. 15 nationally, responded to a three-match skid with a pair of wins at the Marian Triangular last Saturday. The Duhawks opened with a five-set win over Benedictine before closing the event with a 3-1 victory over host Marian. Bo Brainerd III and Roman Rothermel led the offensive effort, combining for 61 kills across the two matches.
 
Loras carried that momentum into last Wednesday’s non-conference match against Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where the Duhawks posted one of their most efficient performances of the season in a straight-set victory. Loras hit .500 as a team and committed just three attacking errors on 74 attempts. Rothermel led the team with 11 kills, while Brainerd and Anthony Schwarz added nine apiece.
 
National Stat Watch: CCIW Elites Among the Best in Division III
CCIW programs and student-athletes continue to appear prominently in the NCAA Division III national statistics. Carthage ranks second nationally in team hitting percentage at .336, while Hudson Sweitzer is second individually at .456. Loras also features two of the nation’s top attacking efficiency leaders, with Brainerd ranked third at .449 and Rothermel fifth at .441.
 
Illinois Wesleyan ranks second nationally in kills per set at 13.38 and third in assists per set at 12.28. Individually, Bartz ranks 11th in Division III in points per set at 4.50 and 22nd in kills per set at 3.65. North Central’s Jonathan Brown is 10th nationally in digs per set at 3.12, while Kuziela’s four triple-doubles lead the nation.
 
Vikings and Cardinals: Navigating the Mid-Conference Grind
Augustana and North Central remain in the middle of the conference race as both teams seek favorable positioning heading into the latter portion of the regular season. Augustana went through a challenging week that included a five-set loss to Illinois Wesleyan and a straight-set setback against top-ranked Carthage. In the match with the Titans, Aidan Bolen recorded 16 kills, Colin Alvers posted 13 digs and Colin Schaefer finished with 47 assists.
 
Brannen Almarales has continued to lead NCC offensively and currently ranks 39th nationally in kills per set at 3.38 and 41st in points per set at 3.89.
 
The Leaderboard: Conference Standings and Statistical Kings
As of Friday, Carthage leads the conference standings at 4-0 and owns a 14-2 overall record. Illinois Wesleyan sits in second at 5-1 in conference play and 17-4 overall, followed by North Central at 2-2 and Augustana at 2-3. Loras enters the week at 1-3 in conference action with a 15-4 overall mark, while North Park is 0-5 in league play and 1-18 overall.
 
In the conference statistical leaders, Bartz leads the CCIW in kills at 3.65 per set, Evan Dziadkowiec of Loras tops the assists category at 10.12 per set, Chris Mactal of North Central leads in blocks at 0.93 per set, and Brown paces the conference in digs at 3.12 per set.
 
Looking Out: Weekend Slate and Marquee Matchups
The upcoming schedule presents another important set of matches for both conference and regional positioning. On Saturday, Carthage will host Dominican, a program currently receiving votes in the national poll, as the Firebirds look to defend their new No. 1 ranking. Augustana will travel to North Central in a key conference matchup between two teams seeking ground in the middle of the standings, while North Park hosts Trine in non-conference action.
 
The conference schedule will also resume next Wednesday with Loras traveling to Augustana.