NAPERVILLE — Three College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) programs appeared in the latest AVCA Division III Men’s Volleyball Poll released Tuesday, with Carthage, Loras and Illinois Wesleyan each earning a spot in the top 20 entering postseason play.
 
Carthage moved up to No. 3 in the national rankings after closing the regular season with a pair of conference wins. The Firebirds, now 20-3 overall and 9-1 in CCIW play, secured their third consecutive CCIW regular-season championship with a sweep of then-No. 17 Illinois Wesleyan in the regular-season finale. Ryan Bartz, Ben Heise and Ryan Monahan each finished with 11 kills in the title-clinching match. Earlier in the week, Carthage also recorded a sweep of North Central while hitting .438 as a team. The Firebirds enter the CCIW Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
 
Loras remained No. 10 in this week’s poll after finishing the regular season with a five-set win over North Central. The Duhawks improved to 20-5 overall and 6-4 in conference play. In the regular-season finale, Bo Brainerd III totaled 20 kills and six blocks, while Evan Dziadkowiec recorded 63 assists. Loras reached the 20-win mark and now shifts its focus to postseason play.
 
Illinois Wesleyan climbed to No. 16 in the national poll and enters the conference tournament with a 21-5 overall record and an 8-2 mark in CCIW matches. Before its loss to Carthage in the regular-season finale, Illinois Wesleyan posted a sweep of North Park and hit .448 as a team. Ethan Kuziela, Bryce Williams and Aydin Provost were among the key contributors during the Titans’ run to the conference championship match.
 
Springfield held the top spot in the poll with 24 first-place votes, followed by Juniata with six first-place votes. Carthage was ranked third, Cal Lutheran fourth and Stevens fifth.