The Dominican University men's volleyball team improved to 7-1 on the season and 4-0 in the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) on Tuesday night, topping the North Central College Cardinals in four sets (25-20, 17-25, 25-18, 25-20) in Naperville, Illinois.
 
The Stars hit .176 in the winning effort, opening the match with a blistering .444 hitting percentage in the first set before closing out the win with a .324 attack percentage in the fourth set.  The Stars struggled offensively in the second in third sets but managed to hold off the Cardinals with a stingy defense that held the Cardinals to a -.032 hitting percentage in the third set while posting seven total blocks and collecting 12 digs.
 
"A win is a win," acknowledged Dan Ames, the Stars' head coach, following the match. "While we weren't as sharp as we have been at times this year, whenever you can beat a team on the road that is as disciplined as North Central was tonight, it is a good win.  Now we need to get back in the gym and work and focus on Friday's match."
 
Michal Kawa paced the Dominican attack, logging 14 kills on 32 swings.  Jeremy Royko added eight kills on 17 attacks over three sets while Alex Coyne ran the offense, racking up 41 assists.
 
Defensively, the Stars block posted nine total blocks, including five for middle Mason Solbrig.  In the back row, Brooks Nevrly tallied 12 digs while Dominican logged 38 digs in the winning effort.
 
The Cardinals hit just .101 in the match with Jake Braceros and Nick Lilley sharing team-high honors with ten kills apiece.
 
The Stars, alone atop the MCVL Eastern Division standings at 4-0, remain in league play but cross over to the MCVL Western Division when they travel to Loras College on Friday.  The Stars then return home for the first time in over a month when the Benedictine University Eagles visit the Igini Sports Forum next Wednesday night, February 22.