River Forest, Ill. – Men's Volleyball earns its fifth NACC Tournament title and clinches a place in the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship, Softball builds its resume with team victories and stellar individual performances, Baseball pulls off an epic comeback over Edgewood, and Track and Field compete in the Outdoor Chicagoland Championships.

Men's Volleyball entered the week as the #2 seed in the NACC Tournament after closing the season with a 10-2 conference record. On Tuesday, the Stars hosted #7 Seed Illinois Tech in the Quarterfinals. DU made quick work of the Scarlet Hawks, taking them down in straight sets. Sophomore Landon Kassulke led the Navy and Gold with 31 assists and 2 blocks, while Junior Ty Geschke posted 11 kills alongside 3 blocks and 7 digs. Dominican then traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Saturday for the Semifinal match against #3 Seed Aurora, which was hosted by MSOE. In a high-level match, the Stars outlasted the Spartans, earning a four-set victory and a spot in the NACC Championship. Sophomore Kendall Esparza notched 15 kills on .323 hitting and posted team highs in aces with 4 and digs with 13. On Sunday, DU took on the NACC Regular Season Champions and #1 Seed MSOE with a spot in the NCAA DIII Men's Volleyball Championship at stake. Dominican came from behind to take the opening set and parlayed that momentum into a sweep over the Raiders, claiming its fifth NCAA Tournament title. Junior Grant Henderson was a vacuum in the back row for the Stars, earning Tournament MVP with 14 digs in the Championship match. Geschke and Esparza were selected to the All-Tournament Team alongside Henderson. The Stars will now prepare for their Play-In match against Thiel in the NCAA DIII Men's Volleyball Championship at Carthage on Thursday, April 16^th, with the time of the match still to be determined.

Softball began its week on Saturday with a doubleheader at home against Edgewood. In Game 1, the Stars jumped out to a 7-0 lead after three innings and never looked back, taking down the Eagles by a final score of 11-4. Sophomore Sara Cornell put together an incredible performance, going 4-4 with two triples, a home run, 3 runs scored, and 2 RBIs. Senior Ryley Davis backed up Cornell's performance by going 3-3 at the plate with an RBI and a double. Game 2 was more defensive, as Dominican stacked runs together in the first, third, and fifth innings to sweep Edgewood on the day by a final score of 4-0. Sophomore Rhiannon Rubio threw a complete game shutout for the Stars with 7 strikeouts and allowed just 2 hits. Freshman Charlie Harris sparked the DU offense by going 2-3 with 2 RBIs and a stolen base. In a quick turnaround, the Stars got right back to work on Sunday, this time on the road at Aurora for a doubleheader. After falling behind 3-1 in the first, the Stars' offense exploded for 11 unanswered runs, ultimately taking Game 1 by a final score of 12-3. Cornell continued to stack Star of the Game performances, this time going 3-5 with 3 RBIs, a home run, and a double. Junior Emme Slavens finished 2-4 with 2 RBIs and a double. In Game 2, the Stars fell behind 10-5 heading into the top of the seventh and could not complete the comeback, falling 10-7. Senior Paytin Salfi went 3-4 with 3 RBIs, a double, and a home run, while Sophomore Isabella Olmos was 2-4 with an RBI. Softball will get set for a week that includes three doubleheaders, beginning at Lakeland on Thursday, April 16^th, to make up the postponement of the games originally scheduled for April 4^th. Following Thursday, the Stas will travel to Wisconsin Lutheran on Saturday, April 18^th, for a doubleheader against the Warriors that starts at 12:00 p.m. Finally, DU returns home to take on Marian on Sunday, April 19^th, for a pair of games that begin at 12:00 p.m.

Baseball opened its week on Tuesday with a non-conference contest at Elmhurst. A tightly contested game saw Dominican prevail through some clutch pitching at the end of the game, as the Stars defeated the Blue Jays by a final score of 7-6. Senior Niko Krecu led DU at the plate by going 3-5 with 3 RBIs, while Sophomore Parker Linning entered the game in the eighth inning for the Stars and earned the save on the mound. Wednesday pitted Dominican against Benedictine in a re-entry to NACC play on the road. In both games, the Stars suffered a crushing 6-5 defeat. In Game 1, Junior Alex Garcia went 3-4 with a double, while Game 2 was headlined by Senior Tyler Johnson and his three-run home run. Baseball then closed the week out at Edgewood on Saturday with a doubleheader series against the Eagles. In Game 1, the Stars trailed 13-8 heading into the top of the ninth inning. Dominican's offense then exploded for six runs on their final three outs, usurping Edgewood for a 14-13 lead that they would protect in the bottom of the ninth to get the thrilling come-from-behind victory. Senior Zach Helein was an integral piece of the comeback, as the Las Vegas, Nevada native finished 4-6 with a double and an RBI. Freshman Austin Long hit his first collegiate home run en route to the victory. The magic wore off for DU in Game 2, however, as the Stars fell by a final score of 7-1. Sophomore Christian Pogorzelski was 3-4 with an RBI in DU's final game of the week. Dominican will continue its conference slate on Tuesday, April 14^th, with a doubleheader on the road against Marian, but will take place at MSOE and begin at 10:00 a.m. due to scheduling conflicts. The Stars will then return to Wintrust Field on Saturday, April 18^th, for Alumni and Senior Day in a doubleheader against Wisconsin Lutheran. First pitch in Game 1 against the Warriors is slated for 12:00 p.m.
 
Track and Field competed at the Chicagoland Outdoor Championship from Thursday, April 9^th to Friday, April 10^th, hosted by Elmhurst University. The Men's team was led by Junior Samuel Malke, who placed 27^th in the Men's 1500-meter with a time of 4:12.22, while the Women's team was headed by Sophomore Mary Bitter, who finished 59^th in the Women's 800-meter with a time of 3:02.61. DUT&F will be back in action on Saturday, April 18^th, at the Don Church Twilight Meet, hosted by Wheaton College.
 
Stars of the Week for the week of April 6^th to April 12^th:

Sophomore Sara Cornell of Softball took home Women's Star of the Week Honors. Cornell finished the week going 9-15 at the plate with 2 home runs, 2 triples, 5 RBIs, and 7 runs scored across DU's 3-1 week.

Junior Grant Henderson of Men's Volleyball was named Men's Star of the Week. Henderson totaled 32 digs during Dominican's run to the NACC Tournament Title and was named NACC Tournament MVP.