River Forest, Ill. – No. 15 Men's Volleyball traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin, for the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship, Softball keeps stacking wins in a push for the NACC Regular Season Title, Baseball celebrates its seniors and alumni, and Track and Field compete in the Don Church Twilight Meet.

No. 15 Men's Volleyball began the NCAA DIII Men's Volleyball Championship with a Play-In Round match against Thiel on Thursday night at Carthage College. After a tight first set that saw the Stars prevail 26-24, DU compounded that momentum into a sweep over the Tomcats and advanced to the First-Round match against the hosts. Sophomore Kendall Esparza led the Stars' attack with 11 kills on .455 hitting, along with an ace and 4 digs. Sophomore Landon Kassulke was all over the stat sheet, collecting 23 assists, 2 blocks, 3 kills, and 3 digs. On Friday, the Stars faced off against No. 3 Carthage in a highly anticipated rematch of a regular season match that took place on March 14^th. Dominican battled hard, but in the end, could not pull off the upset, falling to the Firebirds in straight sets. Graduate Student Casey Goos had a phenomenal match in his final time in the Navy and Gold, posting a team-high 12 kills on .364, 2 aces, and another team-high in digs with 10. DUMVB finished its 2026 campaign with a 23-6 overall record, a 10-2 record in the NACC, and a 14-2 record inside the Igini Sports Forum. DU's 23 wins was the most the program has had in a season since the 2022 season.

Softball opened the week with a doubleheader at Wisconsin Lutheran on Saturday. In Game 1, after a scoreless first three innings, the Dominican offense exploded for eight runs between the fourth and sixth innings, as the Stars cruised to an 8-0 win. Sophomore Isabella Olmos posted a 3-4 day at the plate with a pair of runs scored, while Sophomore Raegyn Davis went 2-4 with a double and three RBIs. In Game 2, the Stars picked up back-to-back shutouts of the Warriors, this time claiming an 11-0 victory. Senior Paytin Salfi had a perfect 3-3 game at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore Sara Cornell added to her excellent stretch of games by going 1-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Softball then returned home to take on Marian on Sunday with huge NACC implications. The first game of the afternoon saw a scoreless first three innings, with Marian eventually breaking the deadlock at the top of the fourth. The Stars responded with six runs at the bottom of the fifth, but the Sabres punched right back with six runs of their own at the top of the sixth, as Dominican fell in Game 1 by a final score of 7-6. Senior Ryley Davis was 2-4 with a pair of RBIs in the first game. Looking to bounce back in Game 2, the Stars took a 2-0 lead by the end of the third and did not look back, as Junior Liberty Rivard held the Sabres to just one run, assisting the Stars to a critical 2-1 win. Ry. Davis picked up both RBIs in the DU victory. Softball will prepare for a busy week, which includes four doubleheader series in a span of five days. The Stars will host Benedictine on Wednesday, April 22^nd, before traveling to Lakeland for a rescheduled series on Thursday, April 23^rd. Dominican will then host a pair of doubleheaders at home over the weekend, first against St. Norbert on Saturday, April 25^th, before taking on Alverno for Senior day on Sunday, April 26^th.

Baseball began its week against Marian at MSOE on Tuesday in a critical series against the Sabres. Game 1 saw DU jump out to a 5-1 lead after six innings, but the Sabres stormed back to cut the Stars' lead to 5-4. Senior Matthew Earley added a clutch RBI at the top of the ninth, and Senior Aaron O'Grady was able to close out the game for Dominican, who picked up the 6-4 victory. Freshman Austin Long was 3-6 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. In Game 2, the Stars took a 7-3 lead into the bottom of the seventh, where Marian mounted a major comeback, who now led 15-7. Dominican totaled 6 runs between the eighth and ninth innings, but its comeback effort came up just short, ultimately falling 15-13. Senior Ricky Powell was 3-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. On Saturday, the Stars returned home to take on Wisconsin Lutheran for Senior Day and Alumni Day at Wintrust Field. The first game of the doubleheader was a back-and-forth affair, with each team holding a lead at a different point of the game. In the end, it was a two-RBI single by Long at the top of the sixth that proved to be the winning play, as the Stars took the opener by a score of 7-5. Long earned Star of the Game with a 4-5 day and two RBIs. In Game 2, the DU offense was stymied by WLC's pitching, as the Stars were held to just one run on nine hits and fell by a final score of 5-1. Senior Zach Helein was 2-3 with a run scored and two walks in the defeat. Baseball will host its final NACC home series on Wednesday, April 22^nd, against Aurora before heading on the road to St. Norbert on Saturday, April 25^th.
 
Track and Field participated in the Don Church Twilight Meet on Saturday. Junior Samuel Malke posted a time of 2:09.74 in the Men's 800-meter, while Junior Emma Brosnihan led the Women's squad with a time of 2:43.42 in the Women's 800-meter. Senior Kaylanah Strange Owl had a best throw of 6.86m in Women's Shot Put. The Stars will be back in action on Saturday, April 25^th, in the ONU Outdoor Open in Bourbonnais.
 
Stars of the Week for the week of April 13^th to April 19^th:

Senior Ryley Davis of Softball took home Women's Star of the Week Honors. Ry. Davis finished the week going 6-12 at the plate while compiling 5 RBIs, a double, and a walk.

Freshman Austin Long of Baseball was named Men's Star of the Week. Long was 10-21 at the plate this week with 5 RBIs, 7 runs scored, a double, a home run, and a walk.