River Forest, Ill. – Dominican University Men's Volleyball welcomed #9 California Lutheran to the Igini Sports Forum Sunday morning.
 
 Results:
  Dominican: 1
  California Lutheran: 3

  How it Happened:
-DU got off to a hot start in the opening set, as Graduate Student Casey Goss posted a 3-0 run, with Dominican ultimately taking a 10-6 lead.
-The Kingsman began to battle back, but an ace by Junior Thomas Hirsch and a 3-0 run by Junior Ty Geschke put the Stars ahead 19-14.
-Cal Lutheran reapplied the pressure on DU and stormed back to take the opening set 25-23. Senior Michael Greco posted 3 kills and a block in the first.
-The Stars took over the beginning of the second set, as a 4-0 run by Sophomore Kendall Esparza and a 5-0 run by Hirsch gave Dominican a 9-2 advantage.
-DU kept CLU at bay, with kills from Goss, Greco, and Sophomore Landon Kassulke, and held a 15-10 advantage.
-After an ace by Greco, the Stars would even the match at one set all, taking Set 2 by a score of 25-17. Geschke had 6 kills in the second.
-The Kingsmen opened the third set with a 6-0 run, but Dominican battled back, closing the gap to 7-6.
-After Dominican took a 10-8 lead via a 4-0 run by Kassulke, Cal Lutheran responded with a 4-0 run of their own.
-Despite solid blocking from Kassulke and Hirsch, the Kingsmen held on to take the third by a score of 25-21. Esparza had four kills in the third.
-The fourth set started tight, but CLU would ultimately gain some breathing room up 9-4.
-Hirsch, Kassulke, and Sophomore Landon Diaz put up a formidable block for the Stars; Cal Lutheran held a 17-10 lead.
-The Stars could not claw back into the fourth and dropped the final frame by a score of 25-16 and fell 3-1 in the match.

  Shining Stars:
-Junior Ty Geschke paced DU's offense, totaling 13 kills alongside an ace and a block.
-Sophomore Kendall Esparza notched 11 kills, 3 aces, and 7 digs.
-Senior Michael Greco posted 8 kills, 2 aces, and 4 blocks.
-Sophomore Landon Kassulke dished 37 assists in the defeat.
- Junior Grant Henderson amassed 9 digs.
 
  Leading the Way:
  Kills: Geschke (13)
  Aces: Esparza (3)
  Blocks: Hirsch (5)
  Assists: Kassulke (37)
  Digs: Henderson (9)

  What's Next:
Dominican University Men's Volleyball moves to 4-1 (0-0 NACC) on the 2026 season. The Stars will be back in action on Thursday, February 5^th, against Illinois Wesleyan. First serve in the Igini Sports Forum will be at 7:00 p.m.

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