Box Score
Lourdes began season two of men's volleyball on Friday evening with a convincing three-set sweep of Robert Morris (Ill.) 25-10, 25-20, 25-18 at Tam-o-Shanter in MAMVIC East action.
 
“It's always good to get that first win of the season,” head coach Greg Reitz said after the match.  “This match is a good barometer for us moving forward.”
 
The Gray Wolves hit .338 as a team on opening night, posting 37 kills, while the defense held the Eagles to just a .028 hitting clip while forcing 16 attack errors.
 
“To hit over .300 as a team to start the year is a good benchmark for us to start with,” Reitz added.
 
Lourdes started the match quickly, scoring the first five points of the contest as Oliver Cizmazia (Bratislava, Slovakia/Metodova H.S.) got things going.  The lead grew to 12-3 and another 8-0 run on the serve of Cizmazia pushed the advantage to 22-7 as the Gray Wolves cruised in set one.  Nick DiMarco (Torrance, Calif./South Torrance H.S.) had six kills on eight swings in the opening set as Lourdes hit .409 as a team.
 
“It was good to see us start strong,” Reitz stated.  “We did not show any nerves in that first set and were able to dictate the tempo.”
 
Robert Morris looked to battle back in set two, taking a 14-8 lead.  A 9-3 run by the Gray Wolves tied the set at 18 and Lourdes was able to score six of the final seven points to earn the set two victory.  After holding the Eagles to a -.176 hitting percentage in the opening set, the Gray Wolves limited Robert Morris to a .038 clip in set two.  Trevor Lund (Laguna Hills, Calif./Laguna Hills H.S.) put down five kills in that second set.
 
“We did not serve as well in set two, especially early, but we were able to battle back,” Reitz added.  “We were able to come back strong though and play well in set three.”
 
The Gray Wolves never trailed in the final set, rushing out to a 6-2 advantage.  Lourdes slowly pulled away throughout the match, using another 6-2 run to build a 16-10 lead.  Robert Morris closed to within 19-15, but the Gray Wolves stayed strong to win a season opener for the first time in program history.  Chris Lockwood (Kailua, Hawaii/Poway [Calif.] H.S.) finished with six kills in the third set to lead the offense.
 
Lund led the way for Lourdes with 11 kills while hitting .391 and Lockwood added 10 kills at a .500 clip to pace the offense.  DiMarco finished with nine kills while Cizmazia added 29 assists and four aces.  Brad Miller (Convoy, Ohio/Crestview H.S.) led the defense with 13 digs while Frank Craig (Jacksonville, Fla./Englewood H.S.) added three blocks.
 
Andre Shaw led Robert Morris (0-1, 0-1 MAMVIC East) with six kills while Tyler Boyce had seven digs.
 
Lourdes (1-0, 1-0) will return to action on Saturday afternoon for another conference battle, hosting Cardinal Stritch.  First serve is slated for 1 p.m. at Tam-o-Shanter.