Complete PDF Notes

Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: Lourdes travels to Milwaukee, Wis. this weekend for a pair of matches.  The Gray Wolves will step out of MAMVIC East play on Friday evening to face NCAA Division III foe Milwaukee School of Engineering.  Lourdes then returns to conference play on Saturday afternoon to battle sixth-ranked Cardinal Stritch.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his second season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 17-13 (.567) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  He was named to the MAMVIC East Coach of the Year in 2012.  Reitz is the only head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Lourdes is 1-1 all-time against Milwaukee School of Engineering with both meetings coming last season.  The Gray Wolves fell to the Raiders in four sets in Milwaukee on Feb. 11, 2012 before rebounding two weeks later on Feb. 25, 2012 to post a four-set victory at the Mount Saint Joseph Tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Cardinal Stritch is 3-0 all-time against the Gray Wolves, including a victory earlier this season.  On Jan. 19, 2013 the Wolves posted a 3-1 triumph over Lourdes at Tam-o-Shanter.  Last season Cardinal Stritch won a pair of contests in Sylvania, as this will be Lourdes first trip to face the Wolves in Milwaukee.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes jumped out to a two-set lead against #4 Saint Ambrose last Saturday at Tam-o-Shanter, only to see the Bees battle back to win in five sets 20-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 15-10, handing the Gray Wolves their third straight loss.  Nick DiMarco led Lourdes with 28 kills while Brad Miller tallied 17 digs.  Oliver Cizmazia handed out 53 assists in the loss.

Scouting Milwaukee School of Engineering: The Raiders are coming off of their first victory of the season on Jan. 30, a four-set triumph over Saint Xavier at home.  Alex Harbour leads MSOE with 31 kills this season while John Cote has tallied a team-leading 34 digs.  David Johnson has registered 10 blocks while Josh Avery has handed out 73 assists.  As a team the Raiders are hitting .114 through the first three matches of the season.

Scouting Cardinal Stritch: The Wolves have won eight straight matches following a five-set victory at home against Clarke on Tuesday night.  Cardinal Stritch hosts Siena Heights on Friday before entertaining Lourdes on Saturday.  Adam Cosson leads the Wolves with 126 kills this season while Patrick Ronan has recorded a team-high 91 digs.  Noah Mader has accumulated 41 blocks already this year while Collin Hartman has handed out 192 assists.
 
DiMarco Matches Career High: Nick DiMarco matched his career high with 28 kills last Saturday afternoon in the five-set loss against Saint Ambrose.  The senior first tallied 28 kills on Feb. 11, 2012 against Milwaukee School of Engineering.  DiMarco leads the Gray Wolves with 66 kills already this season, an average of 4.4 per set.  His per set average is tops in the country.

Another Ranked Foe Due Up: Lourdes will face its third ranked opponent in its first six matches of the season on Saturday afternoon when the Gray Wolves battle sixth-ranked Cardinal Stritch.  The Gray Wolves already fell once to the Wolves in four sets when they were ranked ninth in the nation and also dropped a five-set match to #4 Saint Ambrose last weekend.

Assisting When He Can: Freshman Oliver Cizmazia leads the NAIA averaging 11.8 assists per set.  The rookie handed out a season-high 53 helpers in the five-set loss to Saint Ambrose last Saturday, and already has 153 total assists this year.

An Average Attack: As a team Lourdes hit .229 in the match against the Bees on Saturday afternoon, matching the Gray Wolves exact season average for hitting percentage on the season.  

Digging Them Up: Brad Miller has registered 43 digs for Lourdes in the first four matches of the season, leading the way.  The sophomore is averaging 2.9 digs per set, a mark that ranks third among all NAIA players this season.

Killing Them: Lourdes ranks third in the nation as a team averaging 12.3 kills per set through four matches.  Not surprisingly, the Gray Wolves are also third as a team in assists as well, averaging 11.8 per set.  Unfortunately for Lourdes, the Gray Wolves are hitting just .229 as a team due to an average of 5.6 attack errors per set.

Captains Named: Senior Nick DiMarco and junior Trevor Lund have been named team captains for the 2013 season.  DiMarco led the Gray Wolves with 342 kills one season ago and will be a two-time team captain.  Lund will be in his first season at Lourdes after transferring in from Irvine Valley College.

New Faces: Of the 13 players on the 2013 roster, only six return from last season.  Nick DiMarco and Zander Epps are the lone seniors on this year's squad, which also features four freshmen and three transfers.

Jumping Into Conference Action: Lourdes will play MAMVIC East matches in eight of their first 10 contests this season, including the first two of the year last weekend.  The Gray Wolves also have a stretch of nine straight non-conference contests on the slate, but that stretch of matches will not begin until Feb. 23.

This and That: Garrett Jones made his collegiate debut against Saint Ambrose tallying four kills and adding one dig ... Lourdes has won the opening set in three of the four matches this season ... there were 45 ties in the match against Saint Ambrose, including 21 in the second set.