Kenosha, Wis.— Dominican University Men's Volleyball prepares to take on Thiel in the Play-In Round of the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championships on Thursday at Carthage.

Series History vs. Thiel:
All-Time Record / Streak: 1-0 / W1
-Dominican and Thiel have only met one time in DU's inaugural season on 2/9/2014. The Stars took down the Tomcats in four sets on a neutral floor in Cincinnati, Ohio (25-21, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22).
 
DU in Review:
-DU is 22-5 (10-2 NACC) (14-2 Home) (6-3 Road) (2-0 Neutral) 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 were crowned champions of the NACC Tournament on Sunday after sweeping #1 Seed MSOE on its home floor (25-22, 25-18, 25-18).
-Junior Grant Henderson capped off an incredible tournament with a team-high 14 digs in the match. Henderson was named Co-Star of the Match and Tournament MVP.
-Junior Ty Geschke led the attacking effort for DU with 13 kills, along with 2 blocks and 8 digs. Geschke received All-Tournament Team honors, the second of his career.
-Sophomore Kendall Esparza totaled 9 kills on .429 hitting, 2 aces, a block, and 4 digs. The Lancaster, California native was the 3^rd Star selected for the NACC All-Tournament Team.
-Sophomore Landon Kassulke collected 36 assists and 7 digs en route to the title.
-Graduate Student Casey Goss received Co-Star of the Match for his 12 kills on .600 hitting. Goos added an ace and 4 digs.

Dominican's History in the NCAA Championships:
 -The Stars are 4-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with their deepest run coming in 2018.
-DU's pod consists of Carthage (host), Thiel, Southern Virginia, and Loras. A link to the official bracket can be found here.
 
Stars Win Fifth NACC Tournament Title:
 -Dominican earned its fifth NACC Tournament Title on Sunday, the most out any program in the conference.
-DU will carry a ten-match win streak into the NCAA Tournament, their longest win streak since its 21 wins in a row from February 8^th to April 15^th, 2022.


Shining Stars:
-Junior Ty Geschke has led the attack for the Stars, totaling 322 kills for 3.32 kills per set. Geschke has added 160 digs and 32 blocks during the 2026 season. The junior finished 3^rd in the conference in kills, and was named to the NACC All-Conference First team and NACC All-Tournament team.
-Sophomore Kendall Esparza is 2^nd on Dominican in kills with 282, which averages to 2.91 kills per set. The sophomore leads the Stars and the NACC in aces with 50. Esparza joined Geschke on the NACC All-Conference First team and NACC All-Tournament team.
-Junior Thomas Hirsch has been lights out through the middle for the Stars, tallying 247 kills and a conference-leading 99.0 blocks. Hirsch also leads the nation in hitting percentage at .465. The Boise, Idaho, native was All-Conference First team and All-Tournament team, as well as AVCA All-Region.
-Sophomore Landon Kassulke is the leading playmaker for Dominican, notching 987 assists for 10.07  assists per set, which ranks as the highest mark in the NACC. Kassulke was named to the NACC All-Conference Second team.
-Graduate Student Casey Goss rounds out the top four attackers for the Stars, posting 213 kills in 27 matches played. Goss received NACC All-Conference Honorable Mention.
-Junior Grant Henderson has held down the back row for DU, totaling a team-high 227 digs. The junior was named NACC Tournament MVP.
 
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:
-Thiel is 23-8 (11-1 PAC) on the 2026 season.
-The Tomcats have won eight straight and took down Hiram in three and Chatham in four in the PAC Tournament to secure its auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament.
-The Tomcats average 12.0 kills per set and have hit .277 as a team. Thiel also records 9.6 digs per set and 2.0 blocks per set.