Box Score
Lourdes University's men's volleyball team opened up the 2013 MAMVIC East Championships on Friday morning with a convincing 25-12, 25-16, 25-23 sweep of fifth-seeded Saint Xavier at the Goodman Center in Chicago, Ill.
 
“The biggest thing for us is getting the win this morning and moving on,” head coach Greg Reitz stated after the match.  “We got some good overall team play and had some strong individual performances, both hitting and serving.”
 
Nick DiMarco (Torrance, Calif./South Torrance H.S.) hit .706, tallying 13 kills and committing just one error on 17 attempts to lead Lourdes offensively while Trevor Lund (Laguna  Hills, Calif./Laguna Hills H.S.) also added 13 kills without an error and hit .565 for the match.
 
As a team the Gray Wolves hit .493, including a .611 clip in the opening set and a .607 mark in set two.  Lourdes committed just three total errors in the first two sets, including just one in set one.
 
“To hit over .600 for two sets is pretty impressive,” Reitz added.
 
The fourth-seeded Gray Wolves took control of the match quickly, scoring the first five points of the day and building an early 10-1 lead .  Three straight service aces by Julina Rivera (Bayamon, P.R./Wesleyan Academy) late in the opening set helped Lourdes take the early lead in the match.
 
Leading 10-8 in the second set, Steve Barcus (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon H.S.) spearheaded a 6-0 run in which the Gray Wolves were able to build a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Lourdes had to rally in set three to complete the sweep.  Trailing 17-11, DiMarco served four straight points and Lourdes finished the match on a 14-6 run to advance to Friday evening's semifinals.
 
Barcus handed out 35 assists while Rivera finished the match with four aces and a .571 hitting percentage.  He also was in on five of Lourdes six blocks on the day.  Brad Miller (Convoy, Ohio/Crestview H.S.) led the Gray Wolves with eight digs while Lund added six more.
 
Sam Kull paced Saint Xavier (6-21) with 11 kills, hitting .500 for the match while Dan Nelson added nine digs defensively.  Lourdes held the Cougars to just a .197 hitting percentage for the day.
 
“We need to look to keep this momentum going tonight,” Reitz concluded.  “It will be a tough challenge for us.  We will have to serve well and aggressively if we want to give ourselves a chance.”
 
Lourdes (25-10), winners of six of its last seven, will face top-seeded, and eighth-ranked Saint Ambrose on Friday evening in the semifinals at the Goodman Center.  First serve is slated for 6 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. CDT).