River Forest, Ill. – Dominican University Men's Volleyball faced off against Adrian in the second match of a back-to-back on Saturday.
 
 Results:
  Dominican: 3
  Adrian: 0

  How it Happened:
-The Stars started quickly in the opening set thanks to an 8-0 run by Sophomore Endall Esparza, which included 4 aces.
-Adrian battled back, but DU took back over the match with a 6-0 run by Graduate Student Casey Goss, giving Dominican a 20-7 lead in the first.
-DU took the opener by a score of 25-17. Junior Thomas Hirsch had 5 kills in the first set.
-The second set started much tighter, as the Stars battled for a 9-8 lead.
-Esparza would go on a 4-0 run after a Dominican side-out, giving DU a 13-8 lead.
-Dominican would use the Esparza run and missteps from Adrian to gain some breathing room in the second set, eventually leading 22-13.
-A kill by Freshman Austin Rynberg and an ace by Hirsch put the second set on ice for the Stars by a score of 25-16. Sophomore Landon Kassulke had a pair of kills in the second.
-The Stars and Bulldogs came out swinging in the third, as a kill by Junior Ty Geschke gave Dominican a 6-3 advantage.
-After DU extended its lead to 8-5, Goss rattled off a 13-0 run from the line, which included 3 Dominican blocks.
-A pair of kills by Freshman Eli Rodda closed out the match in a sweep for the Stars, as Dominican took the third by a score of 25-10.
-The Stars had total control of the match, outhitting Adrian .484 to -.012 and out-blocking the Bulldogs 7-4.

  Shining Stars:
-Junior Thomas Hirsch led the way for DU, totaling 12 kills on .786 hitting alongside 7 blocks.
-Sophomore Kendall Esparza notched 7 kills on .417 hitting and 4 aces.
-Junior Ty Geschke collected 6 kills and 3 digs.
-Sophomore Landon Kassulke dished 29 assists in the win.
- Junior Grant Henderson had 6 digs and a pair of assists.
 
  Leading the Way:
  Kills: Hirsch (12)
  Aces: Esparza (4)
  Blocks: Hirsch (7)
  Assists: Kassulke (29)
  Digs: Henderson (6)

  What's Next:
Dominican University Men's Volleyball improved to 3-0 (0-0 NACC) on the 2026 season. The Stars will travel to Lakeland for their first conference match of the season on Thursday, January 29^th. The match against the Muskies is slated for 6:00 p.m.

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