Former Marist setter Ethan Kuziela delivered five triple-double performances this season for the Illinois Wesleyan men’s volleyball team.
According to school officials, that’s more than all of the players in NCAA Division III combined. And according to InsideHitter.com, there are between 2,400-2,600 players in Division III volleyball.
“It is pretty mind-blowing,” Kuziela said. “One of my uncles gave me the nickname ‘Mr. Triple-Double,’ so that was pretty funny.”
Kuziela put up some serious numbers with 635 assists, 330 kills, 184 digs, 68 blocks and 29 aces, becoming the first player in program history to be named first team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
One of his more noteworthy performances came on March 28 when he notched 23 kills, 20 assists and 13 digs in a 22-25, 25-21, 25-15, 31-29 victory over North Central College in Naperville.
He also had back-to-back triple-doubles against Concordia Wisconsin and Wisconsin Lutheran on Feb. 12 and Feb. 14, respectively.
It’s rare for a setter to get the hitting opportunities that Kuziela has received, but the Titans went to a 6-2 offense this season. When he wasn’t setting, Kuziela was hitting on the right side.
“It shows the well-rounded game that he has,” Illinois Wesleyan coach Brandon Mueller said. “It’s not just the setting and the attacking. He was one our leaders in aces, blocks and digs.
“He’s somebody who can do it all and do it really well.”
Mueller pointed out that double-doubles are a given with Kuziela. However …
“The triple-doubles are an incredible thing,” Mueller said.
Kuziela was 5-foot-10 as a junior at Marist and then shot up to 6-6 as a senior. That’s when he took on more of a hitting role. He confirmed that he’s still a little green with that skill.
As a result, video became his best friend.
“I watched a lot of practice and game film to see what I was doing in games,” he said. “I really ramped it up in-season this year.
“I would watch a couple of hours of film every day or two if we had an upcoming match or practice film.”
Kuziela showed promise as a freshman with 228 kills, 58 assists, 42 digs and 30 blocks in 18 matches. But it would have been a stretch to predict an All-American season.
“Give credit to him and all of the hard work he put into it,” Mueller said of Kuziela. “He had a few injuries his freshman year and at times he was frustrated.
“It’s not that he was a totally different person when he came in this year, but he was definitely someone who was more confident in himself. We gave him the opportunity from day one in fall ball to do his thing setting-wise and attacking-wise.”
Kuziela’s career got started with his mother — former Mother McAuley star Anne Eastman-Kuziela,
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who played in the Big Ten at Indiana — introduced him to the sport at an early age.The Eastman connection continued as St. Ignatius graduate Michael Eastman, Kuziela’s cousin, was a member of Illinois Wesleyan’s inaugural team in 2021 and vouched for Kuziela.
Thus, Mueller gave Kuziela a closer look, even before the growth spurt.
“Luckily, with that connection, this worked out in our favor,” Mueller said.
Oh, and Eastman’s father, Erik, gave Kuziela his “Mr. Triple-Double” nickname.
Kuziela is proud of his all-around efforts, but he doesn’t believe he’s a one-man band.
“It has set in a little bit more and have been able to process what happened,” he said. “It is very cool. For me, it’s a team thing. The assists are a team thing. The hitting is a team thing. The defense is even a team thing.
“I have to give credit to my teammates because they are allowing me to be put into the position for that to happen.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.