River Forest, Ill. – Dominican University Men's Volleyball returns to action on Thursday night against Illinois Wesleyan.

Series History vs. Illinois Wesleyan:
All-Time Record / Streak: 3-1 / L1
-Dominican and Illinois Wesleyan first played on 3/29/2022 in River Forest, Ill. (W, 3-0).
-Dominican is 2-0 at home against the Titans.
-In their last meeting, DU fell to Illinois Wesleyan in five sets on 2/6/2025.
 
DU in Review:
-DU is 4-1 (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 suffered their first defeat of the season on Sunday in a four-setter against #9 California Lutheran.
 -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.


Hirsch Wins Second Consecutive NACC Defensive Player of the Week:
 -Junior Thomas Hirsch took home NACC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the week of 1/26 – 2/1.
 -Hirsch totaled 11 blocks and 5 digs across DU's two matches last week.

Shining Stars:
-Junior Ty Geschke has led the attack for the Stars, totaling 47 kills for 2.94 kills per set. Geschke has added 21 digs and 10 blocks in the early stages of the season.
-Sophomore Kendall Esparza is 2^nd on Dominican in kills with 41, which averages to 2.56 kills per set. The sophomore leads the Stars in aces with 13.
-Junior Thomas Hirsch has been lights out through the middle for the Stars, tallying 36 kills and a team-leading 29.0 blocks.
-Sophomore Landon Kassulke is the leading playmaker for Dominican, notching 149 assists for 9.31 assists per set.
-Senior Michael Greco is 4^th on Dominican in kills with 25 and 3^rd in total blocks with 13.0.
-Junior Grant Henderson has held down the backrow for DU, totaling a team-high 39 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:
-Illinois Wesleyan is 8-2 (0-0 CCIW) to start the 2026 season.
-The Titans have won four straight, including victories over Trine, Rockford, Maranatha Baptist, and Wabash.
-IWU hits at a .288 clip, averaging 13.5 kills per set, 12.3 assists per set, and 10.3 digs per set.