RIVER FOREST, Ill. – Men's Volleyball returned to Illinois Saturday as NACC action continued. They battled with the Dominican Stars, ranked #18 in the latest AVCA Division III poll, in a conference battle. The Stars (11-3, 3-1 NACC) fended off a stubborn Eagles (4-9, 1-3) squad, winning 3-0 (26-24, 25-13, 25-20).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The squads exchanged runs in the first set. While a 4-0 Dominican rally pulled them ahead 11-9, Edgewood University answered with a 4-1 run and a 15-14 edge. The teams grappled over slim one- and two-point leads, but the Stars held a 24-22 advantage late. Back-to-back kills forced extra points, but a service error and a Dominican ace sent the first set to the Stars.
 
- While the Eagles hung close early in the second set, Dominican erupted with a 9-1 onslaught on offense as Edgewood University struggled to get going. The Eagles hit -.048 while the Stars hit .545 as the hosts claimed a 2-0 lead.
 
- Edgewood University struck first in the third set, a 7-2 sprint putting them ahead 12-8. They led 15-10 before Dominican roared to life on a 12-2 barrage, flipping the script on the set and all but sealing the match.
 
- The Stars won the hitting battle .196-to.128. They had nine service aces to the Eagles' two.
 
- Edgewood University's defense performed well, posting a 9-to-7 edge in blocks and a 32-to-31 lead in digs.
 
- Casey Goss tallied eight kills and three aces for Dominican, while Kendall Esparza led the hosts with nine kills.
 
- Landon Kassulke tallied 31 assists and Grant Henderson had a match-high 10 digs.
 
- Cade Scheuller swung for 10 kills to lead all players.
 
- Carsyn Stringfellow had a match-high five blocks. Jack Mullane recorded nine digs.
 
- Ethan Hoffert finished the afternoon with 25 assists and 9 digs.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles will look to get back on track with three of their next four at home. They'll host Wisconsin Lutheran for Youth Night at the Todd Wehr Edgedome Wednesday. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.