RIVER FOREST, Ill. – Fresh off a National Semifinal appearance, Dominican University's men's volleyball team is ranked second nationally by Division III Men's Volleyball media outlet, Frogjump Volleyball, headed into the 2022 campaign. 
 
The Stars, who finished the 2021 season at 17-2, return most of their starting lineup which claimed the NACC Tournament Championship and defeated No. 2 Vassar in the National Quarterfinals last year. 
 
Last year's National Champions Carthage are the top-seeded team and Dominican will square off with the Firebirds on Friday, Jan. 28 in Kenosha. DU will also face No. 9 Juniata, No. 12 Stevenson, No. 14 North Central and No. 20 Loras during its grueling non-conference slate. 
 
Dominican will also match up later in the season with 19th-ranked Fontbonne on March 10 and NACC rivals No. 5 Benedictine on March 12. The Stars also host perennially-strong UC-Santa Cruz on March 25. 
 
DU begins its 2022 campaign with a home tilt versus Illinois Wesleyan on Jan. 19 at 7 p.m.