NAPERVILLE — The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) announced its final Men’s Volleyball Student-Athletes of the Week selections for the regular season, recognizing Bo Brainerd III of Loras, Ryan Morey of Carthage and Brannen Almarales of North Central after strong performances during the closing week of conference play.
 
Hitter: Bo Brainerd III, Loras
A senior middle blocker, Brainerd helped Loras finish the week with a 2-0 record and lock up the No. 3 seed in the CCIW Tournament. The Delafield, Wis. native totaled 35 kills and 13 blocks across the two matches while hitting .480. He opened the week with 15 kills and seven blocks on senior night against Augustana, then added 20 kills against North Central. Brainerd also enters the postseason as the conference leader in hitting percentage at .435.
 
Setter: Ryan Morey, Carthage
Carthage clinched its third consecutive CCIW regular-season championship behind another efficient week from Morey. Averaging 12.00 assists per set, the senior setter finished with 72 assists over a pair of three-set wins. In the victory over North Central, the Redwood City, Calif. product handed out 42 assists, falling just three short of his season high in a three-set match. He followed that effort with 30 assists and nine digs against Illinois Wesleyan, helping the Firebirds hit .438 against the Cardinals.
 
Defensive: Brannen Almarales, North Central
Defensive honors went to Almarales, who turned in a record-setting performance as North Central closed the regular season and secured a berth in the conference tournament. During a five-set match against No. 10 Loras, the senior right side posted 27 digs to establish a new program record for a five-set match, surpassing a mark that had been set earlier this season. Over two matches, the Downers Grove, Ill. senior compiled 39 digs and averaged 4.88 per set.

2026 CCIW Men's Volleyball Student-Athletes of the Week
Hitter
April 6: Bo Brainerd III, Loras
March 30: Ethan Kuziela, Illinois Wesleyan
March 23: Aydin Provost, Illinois Wesleyan
March 16: Ruben Emmerich, Carthage
March 9: Ryan Bartz, Carthage
March 2: Ben Heise, Carthage
Feb. 24: Ben Heise, Carthage
Feb. 16: Aydin Provost, Illinois Wesleyan
Feb. 9: Ryan Bartz, Carthage
Feb. 2: Aydin Provost, Illinois Wesleyan
Jan. 26: Ryan Bartz, Carthage
Jan. 19: Aydin Provost, Illinois Wesleyan

Setter
April 6: Ryan Morey, Carthage
March 30: Brenden Reutter, Illinois Wesleyan
March 23: Ethan Kuziela, Illinois Wesleyan
March 16: Ryan Morey, Carthage
March 9: Ryan Morey, Carthage
March 2: Ethan Kuziela, Illinois Wesleyan
Feb. 24: Colin Schaefer, Augustana
Feb. 16: Ethan Kuziela, Illinois Wesleyan
Feb. 9: Ethan Kuziela, Illinois Wesleyan
Feb. 2: Evan Dziadkowiec, Loras
Jan. 26: Evan Dziadkowiec, Loras
Jan. 19: Ethan Kuziela, Illinois Wesleyan

Defensive
April 6: Brannen Almarales, North Central
March 30: Gavin Rohlwing, Illinois Wesleyan
March 23: Brady Oberfoell, Loras
March 16: Mitchell Hester, North Central
March 9: Ben Zima, Illinois Wesleyan
March 2: Colin Alvers, Augustana
Feb. 24: Owen Hendricks, Carthage
Feb. 16: Colin Alvers, Augustana
Feb. 9: Chris Mactal, North Central
Feb. 2: Jonathan Brown, North Central
Jan. 26: Chris Mactal, North Central
Jan. 19: Roman Rothermel, Loras