Plymouth, Wis. – Dominican University Men's Volleyball looks to keep its perfect start to the season alive in its NACC opener at Lakeland on Thursday.

Series History vs. Lakeland:
All-Time Record / Streak: 15-4 / W12
-Dominican and Lakeland first played on 1/31/2014 in River Forest, Ill. (L, 3-0).
-Dominican is 7-2 on the road against the Muskies.
-The Stars are 15-1 in their last 16 matches against the Lakeland.
-In their last meeting, DU got the better of Lakeland, sweeping the Muskies on 4/5/2025.
 
DU in Review:
-DU is 3-0 (0-0 NACC) on the 2026 season.
-The Stars finished the 2025 season with a 14-11 record and went 9-3 in conference.
-Dominican spent the preseason abroad in Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia to tune up for the 2026 campaign.
-The 2026 season marks the 3^rd season with Head Coach Doug Burchett at the helm. Burchett has amassed a 33-19 record since becoming head coach at Dominican.
 
Last Time Out:
 -The Stars made it three sweeps in a row on Saturday after taking down Adrian.
 -Junior Thomas Hirsch posted a team-high in kills (12) and blocks (7).
-Sophomore Kendall Esparza notched 7 kills on .417 hitting alongside 4 aces.
-Sophomore Landon Kassulke tallied 29 assists and 5 digs in the win.


Hirsch Wins NACC Defensive Player of the Week:
 -Junior Thomas Hirsch took home NACC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the week of 1/19 – 1/25.
 -Hirsch amassed 14 blocks and 5 digs across DU's two sweeps over Augustana and Adrian last week.

Shining Stars:
-Sophomore Kendall Esparza has led the attack for the Stars, totaling 25 kills for 2.78 kills per set. Esparza also leads DU in aces with 8.
-Junior Ty Geschke is 2^nd on Dominican in kills with 24, which averages to 2.67 kills per set. The Junior is 2^nd in digs with 14 and has compiled 9 blocks.
-Junior Thomas Hirsch has been lights out through the middle for the Stars, tallying 22 kills and a team-leading 18.0 blocks.
-Sophomore Landon Kassulke is the leading playmaker for Dominican, notching 82 assists for 9.11 assists per set.
-Junior Grant Henderson has held down the backrow for DU, totaling 23 digs.
 
Familiar Faces:
-Junior Ty Geschke returns from a strong Sophomore season. Geschke led the Stars in kills (275) and kills per set (3.62), was second in aces (56), and was third in blocks (38.0).
-Graduate Student Casey Goss will assume his place as the starting opposite hitter for DU, following up a Senior season that included 165 kills, 47 aces, and 22 blocks.
-Sophomore Kendall Esparza is back to don the Navy and Gold and looks to build upon a Freshman season of 82 kills, 23 aces, 45 digs, and 9 starts.
-Senior Michael Greco, Junior Thomas Hirsch, and Freshman Landon Diaz look to solidify the middle blocking position for Dominican. Hirsch led all middle blockers with 96 kills, while Greco led the 2025 squad in blocks with 44.0.
-Senior Tyler Vrska and Junior Grant Henderson return as the libero duo for the Stars. Henderson led DU with 126 digs last season, while Vrska finished fourth with 112.
 
Scouting Report:
-Lakeland is 3-4 (0-0 NACC) to start the 2026 season.
-The Muskies are amid a two-match losing streak, falling to Illinois Wesleyan and Calvin.
-Lakeland hits at a .192 clip, averaging 10.6 kills per set, 10.0 assists per set, and 11.5 digs per set.