BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The No. 10-ranked Loras College men's volleyball team was defeated by the No. 20-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University Titans, 3-0, on Wednesday evening inside the Shirk Center. 

Illinois Wesleyan (19-4, 6-1 CCIW) took control early in the first set, jumping out to a 10-5 lead. Loras (17-5, 3-4) was able to fight back quickly, with a kill from Jacob Strahan and a Titan attack error to bring the score to within two (14-12) halfway through the first set. The Titans pulled away once again to secure the first set, 25–19. 

The Titans, once again, pulled away early in the second set to hold a 10-5 lead. A kill from James Pirocanac capped off a 9-4 run that tied the second set at 14-14. The remainder of the set was hotly contested with three separate lead changes, but it would not be enough as the Titans secured a 25-23 second set victory.  

The third and final set was hard-fought with neither team able to gain an early advantage. A 10-5 Illinois Wesleyan run extended their lead to seven (20-13) late in the third set and they would go on to complete the sweep with a 25-16 third set victory.  

The Purple and Gold were led by Pirocanac who posted a career-high 12 kills, while Bo Brainerd III and Strahan followed with eight and seven kills respectively. Evan Dziadkowiec led the game with 29 assists, while Brady Oberfoell totaled nine digs on the night. As a team, Loras hit .236, which featured 36 kills and 15 errors in 89 attempts. 

Up Next: The Duhawks will travel to Chicago, Ill. on Saturday, March 28 to take on the Vikings of North Park University.  First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. from Carlson Gymnasium.