By Michael Del Genio
Dominican men’s volleyball finishes their outstanding season with a 23-6 overall season, and a 10-2 in conference record. Their impressive season comes to a close in the sweet sixteen of the national tournament losing to #3 in the nation Carthage.
Prior to the national tournament the Stars decimated the Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) tournament losing only one set through the way to #12 Aurora.
The Stars were highlighted by an impressive season by junior middle Thomas Hirsch who became among the conference best players leading the group in blocks and hitting percentage. Hirsch also walked away with numerous NACC Players of the Week and All-Region Honors.
The hitting core was also maintained by junior outside and captain Ty Geschke and sophomore outside Kendall Esparaza who have been a consistent force throughout the season. Geschke sat top 10 in kills throughout the year on a .242 hitting percentage. Esparaza also was among the top group of hitters in the NACC but stood out behind the service line with 52 aces.
The hitters however, were amplified by the large success and breakout of sophomore Landon Kassulke. Kassulke put up a monumental 1000+ assist season just under 200 more than second in the conference.
“Taking on that bigger role was something that I had been training for since the start of my freshman year… Coach Burchett had enough confidence in me then to play in some bigger games such as the conference semifinals last year. Going into the beginning of this year, there was no doubt that I could perform at the toughest level,” Kassulke says.
Regardless of the individual success from Kassulke he is quick to give his flowers to his teammates, “I couldn’t do it alone. I had plenty of conversations mid game with Graduate Assistant Matt Stillman about playing with confidence and running the court. I was also reassured by some veteran leaders’ time and time again when we got into rough spots. Tyler Vrska, Casey Goss, and Michael Greco had plenty of words of confidence for me.”
Kassulke was awarded NACC All-Conference Second Team for his season performance.
Thomas Hirsch, Ty Geschke, and Kendall Asparaza each were awarded NACC All-Conference First Team as well. Graduate student Casey Goss was an honorable mention.
The large success comes from a strong and deep embedded culture within the program. “Grit, confidence, and trust, I think those three things were some of the backbones of what made us so successful this year,” Kassulke says. “There was never any quit, or lack of trust or confidence that made us lose our focus. During the NACC tournament, it was the most dialed in we have ever been. We were playing so fluidly and together that it didn’t matter what the other team threw at us, we were going to overcome it.”
Tyler Vrska, a senior captain and libero for the team was sidelined midway through the year with hip difficulties. However, despite the injury, hopes remained high and his leadership evolved. “I decided to put off having surgery to spend the last two months with the team because this team and these guys are truly special. I transitioned into a leader on the bench making sure we bring energy, help the guys on the court make in-game adjustments and ultimately be the rock for the guys and someone for them to lean on.”
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