NAPERVILLE — Five student-athletes from the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball All-America teams, as announced by the organization on Monday. Carthage, Illinois Wesleyan and Loras were represented among the 28 selections recognized nationally.
 
Carthage placed three student-athletes on the AVCA All-America teams following its 2026 CCIW championship season. Senior outside hitter Ryan Bartz and senior setter Ryan Morey were each named to the First Team, while junior opposite Ben Heise was selected to the Second Team.
 
Bartz, the CCIW Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year, led the conference with 3.82 kills per set. He also ranked 13th nationally in kills per set and 11th in aces per set. Morey, who earned CCIW Co-Setter of the Year honors and was named AVCA Region IV Player of the Year, paced the conference with 10.18 assists per set and completed the season with 1,959 career assists. Heise received AVCA Second Team recognition for the second year in a row after ranking 15th nationally in points per set and posting a .360 hitting percentage, the sixth-best mark in the CCIW.
 
Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Ethan Kuziela was named to the AVCA All-America First Team, becoming the first All-American in program history for the Titans. Kuziela led NCAA Division III with five triple-double performances during the 2026 season and set program single-season records with 330 kills and 635 assists. He also led the team with 29 service aces, while finishing second in digs with 184 and blocks with 68.
 
Loras senior middle blocker Bo Brainerd III was also named to the AVCA All-America First Team. During the 2026 season, Brainerd recorded 296 kills, 79 total blocks and 365.0 points for the Duhawks.