Chicago, Ill. – Dominican University Men's Volleyball began the 2026 season on the road at North Park on Friday night.
Results:
Dominican: 3
North Park: 0
How it Happened:
-Sophomore
Kendall Esparza started the match off hot with a 5-0 run from the line, which included an ace.
-DU continued to apply pressure on the Vikings at the net, with Senior
Michael Greco totaling 3 blocks in the span of four points to give the Stars a 13-4 lead.
-Dominican built off the early lead and opened the match with a 25-XX victory in Set 1. Junior
Ty Geschke paced the Stars with 6 kills on .625 hitting in the opening frame.
-The second set opened tight, with both squads trading side outs to 7-7.
-DU began to pull away in the middle portion of the set through kills by Junior
Thomas Hirsch and Sophomore
Landon Kassulke, and led 14-10.
-The Stars were able to fend off North Park during the waning moments of the second set and took the frame 25-19. Esparza totaled 3 kills and 2 blocks in Set 2.
-Dominican and North Park could not be separated in the beginning moments of the third set, as both squads were knotted at 11-11.
-After DU fell behind 13-11, a timeout resulted in an 8-1 run and gave the Stars a 20-15 lead.
-The Stars would leave North Park with a sweep over the Vikings after taking the final set 25-19.
-DU hit .476 as a team, which is their highest hitting percentage in a season opener in program history.
Shining Stars:
-Junior
Ty Geschke led the way in attacking for Dominican with 10 kills on .353 hitting alongside 2 aces, 3 blocks, and 5 digs.
-Sophomore
Kendall Esparza notched 8 kills on .889 hitting, an ace, a solo block, and 5 digs.
-Junior
Thomas Hirsch totaled 7 kills and 4 blocks.
-Sophomore
Landon Kassulke dished 26 assists in the victory.
-Junior
Grant Henderson collected 5 digs.
Leading the Way:
Kills: Geschke (10)
Aces: Geschke (2)
Blocks: Hirsch (4)
Assists: Kassulke (26)
Digs: Geschke, Henderson, and Esparza (5)
What's Next:
Dominican University Men's Volleyball improved to 1-0 (0-0 NACC) on the 2026 season. The Stars will have their home opener on Friday, January 23
rd, against Augustana. The match against the Vikings is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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