Dubuque, Iowa. – Dominican University Men's Volleyball looks to extend its win streak to five matches on Sunday against #12 Loras College.

Series History vs. Loras:
All-Time Record / Streak: 7-3 / L3
-Dominican and Loras first played on 2/7/2015 in Dubuque. (W, 3-0).
-Dominican is 3-1 on the road against the Duhawks.
-In their last meeting, DU fell to Loras is straight sets in the Igini Sports Forum on 3/8/2025.
 
DU in Review:
-DU is 8-1 (1-0 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 prevailed in four sets in a high-level match against North Central on Thursday (30-28, 23-25, 25-17, 25-20).
 -Junior Ty Geschke led the attack for the Stars, totaling 18 kills on .293 hitting alongside 2 aces and 6 digs.
-Junior Thomas Hirsch notched 10 kills, 3 aces, and 2 blocks.
-Sophomore Kendall Esparza tallied 8 kills and team highs in aces (4) and digs (7).


Hirsch Wins Third Straight NACC Defensive Player of the Week:
 -Junior Thomas Hirsch took home NACC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the week of 2/2 – 2/8.
 -Hirsch totaled 18 blocks, including 6 solos, across DU's three matches last week.

Shining Stars:
-Junior Ty Geschke has led the attack for the Stars, totaling 93 kills for 3.00 kills per set. Geschke has added 42 digs and 13 blocks in the early stages of the season.
-Sophomore Kendall Esparza is 2^nd on Dominican in kills with 82, which averages to 2.65 kills per set. The sophomore leads the Stars in aces with 22.
-Junior Thomas Hirsch has been lights out through the middle for the Stars, tallying 72 kills and a team-leading 49.0 blocks.
-Sophomore Landon Kassulke is the leading playmaker for Dominican, notching 289 assists for 9.32 assists per set.
-Senior Michael Greco is 5^th on Dominican in kills with 43 and 3^rd in total blocks with 22.0.
-Junior Grant Henderson has held down the backrow for DU, totaling a team-high 71 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 DS duo for the Stars. Henderson led DU with 126 digs last season, while Vrska finished fourth with 112.
 
Scouting Report:
-Loras is 9-1 (0-0 CCIW) to start the 2026 season.
-The Duhawks had their nine-match win streak snapped in a five-set loss to #5 Southern Virginia on Saturday.
-Loras hits at a .298 clip, averaging 13.3 kills per set, 12.1 assists per set, and 10.4 digs per set.