River Forest, Ill. – #2 Seed Dominican University Men's Volleyball traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for a neutral-site battle against #3 Seed and No. 12-ranked Aurora for a spot in the NACC Championship.
Results:
Dominican: 3
No. 12 Aurora: 1
How it Happened:
-Dominican and Aurora traded two-point runs at the beginning of the match, with neither squad able to separate itself.
-The Spartans began to apply pressure on DU at the midpoint of the set, as Aurora ultimately jumped out to a 20-13 lead.
-Junior
Ty Geschke then stepped to the line after a Stars' side out and rattled off a 7-0 run from behind the line, knotting the opening set at 20-20.
-Big side-out kills by Graduate Student
Casey Goss, Sophomore
Kendall Esparza, and Junior
Thomas Hirsch down the stretch claimed the first set for the Stars by a score of 27-25. Esparza closed out the opener with 6 kills.
-DU used the momentum from the first set to explode out to a 10-6 lead in the second after an ace by Geschke.
-Neither team was able to sustain a large run, but Aurora began to chip away at the Stars' lead, as a kill by Geschke put Dominican in front, 18-15.
-The Stars closed the set with a 5-1 run and took a commanding 2-0 lead in the match, taking Set 2 by a score of 25-21. Geschke posted 4 kills in the second.
-The Spartans got the upper hand to start the third set, as DU found themselves trailing 13-8.
-Big time kills by Geschke, and a block between Goss and Sophomore
Landon Diaz help swing the momentum back in favor of the Stars, as Dominican regained an 18-17 lead.
-Aurora ultimately took the third set after a 5-0 run by a score of 25-22. Freshman
Dylan Roszak and Esparza combined for 3 aces in the third.
-To start the fourth set, both teams traded runs back and forth, with Dominican vaulting in front 16-14 after a pair of attacking errors by the Spartans.
-DU's lead never grew to more than three, and Aurora would eventually take a 22-21 lead. Goss then posted a kill and an ace back-to-back to regain the lead for the Stars.
-Another attack error from Aurora sealed the match for Dominican, who won the fourth by a score of 25-23. The win in the NACC Semifinal marks the first time the Stars will appear in the NACC Tournament Championship since 2024.
Shining Stars:
-Junior
Ty Geschke led the Stars' attack, posting 19 kills on .375 hitting along with 2 aces, a block, and 11 digs.
-Sophomore
Kendall Esparza notched 15 kills on .323 hitting and posted team highs in aces (4) and digs (13).
-Graduate Student
Casey Goss recorded 13 kills and 10 digs.
-Sophomore
Landon Kassulke dished 48 assists in the win.
-Junior
Grant Henderson totaled 10 digs.
Leading the Way:
Kills: Geschke (19)
Aces: Esparza (4)
Blocks: Goss and Diaz (2)
Assists: Kassulke (48)
Digs: Esparza (13)
What's Next:
#2 Seed Dominican University Men's Volleyball improved to 21-5 (10-2 NACC) on the 2026 season. The Stars will stay in Milwaukee and get set for the #1 Seed and No. 13-ranked MSOE for the NACC Championship on Sunday, April 12
th. The match against the Raiders with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line is slated to start at 3:00 p.m.
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