Complete PDF Notes

Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: Lourdes University opens its fourth season of intercollegiate volleyball this weekend as the Gray Wolves participate in the Michigan-Dearborn Earlybird Challenge.  The Gray Wolves will play a pair of matches on Friday afternoon to open the tournament before adding two more contests on Saturday morning.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his fourth season on the Lourdes bench, Greg Reitz has a 47-56 (.456) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  In his sixth season overall as a women's head coach, Reitz has a 67-91 (.424) career mark.  He is the only head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Lourdes and Saint Catharine (Ky.) have met one time previously with the Patriots posting a straight sets victory 3-0 on Aug. 28, 2010 at the Michigan-Dearborn tournament.  Illinois Tech defeated Lourdes 3-0 in Chicago, Ill. on Sept. 3, 2010 in the only previous meeting between the two schools.  Lourdes has never met Grace or Saint Francis (Ind.) on the volleyball court.

Wrapping Up Last Season: Lourdes finished 2012 14-18 overall and 5-6 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, tying for seventh place in the league standings.  The Gray Wolves won a conference tournament match for the first time in program history, defeating Concordia (Mich.) before falling in straight sets against Davenport in the quarterfinals.  Lourdes finished the year winning seven of its final nine contests.

Scouting Saint Catharine (Ky.): The Patriots opened the 2013 season on Tuesday night with a straight sets win over Midway at home.  Saint Catharine finished 2012 12-19 overall and 5-10 in the Mid-South Conference, placing seventh in the 11-team field.  The Patriots return eight of their 11 letterwinners from one year ago, yet have just one senior, Randa Murphy, on the roster.

Scouting Grace: The Lancers open their season this weekend with the match against Lourdes on Friday.  Grace posted a 23-19 record overall and a 11-7 mark in the Crossroads League in 2012, tying for fourth place in the 10-team conference.  The Lancers have eight letterwinners returning from last year's squad, paced by the team's lone senior, Dana Johnston.

Scouting Illinois Tech: The Scarlet Hawks posted an 11-23 record overall and a 5-14 mark in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference during the 2012 season, placing seventh in the seventh-team North Division.  Illinois Tech opens its season on Friday facing Michigan-Dearborn in a doubleheader before battling Lourdes on Saturday.  The Scarlet Hawks return nine letterwinners from last year's team, including four seniors.

Scouting Saint Francis (Ind.): The Cougars finished 2012 with a 10-24 overall record and a 4-14 mark in the Crossroads League, finishing eighth in the 10-team conference.  Saint Francis will face Madonna and Indiana-South Bend on Friday and Illinois Tech on Saturday before battling the Gray Wolves.  Nine letterwinners return for the Cougars from last season, including three seniors.

Lourdes in Season Openers: Lourdes is 3-0 all-time in season-opening matches.  In 2010 the Gray Wolves swept Concordia (Mich.) on the road before posting a 3-1 triumph at Marygrove to open the 2011 season.  Last year Lourdes notched a sweep of Rochester (Mich.) at the Concordia tournament to open the campaign.

Award Winners Return: Katie McKenty and Michi Jimenez both earned Honorable Mention All Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference honors last season as well as were members of the WHAC All-Freshman Team.  Both return for their sophomore season at Lourdes this year.  McKenty led the Gray Wolves with 376 kills (3.45/set) from the outside last season while adding 241 digs (2.21/set), second most on the squad.   Jimenez started the season setting and handed out 432 assists (3.69/set) before turning to libero where she notched a team-high 448 digs (3.83/set).

Neutral Sites Not Uncommon to Lourdes: The Gray Wolves have played more matches at neutral sites during the first three years of competition that they have either at home or on opponents' home floors.  Lourdes has played 39 neutral contests compared with 33 home matches and 31 matches on the road.  Lourdes is 14-25 all-time at neutral sites.

Captains Named: Allegra Recknagel and Alyssa Pelish have been selected as team captains for the 2013 season.  Recknagel will be a captain for the second straight year, making her just the second two-time captain in program history.  Hannah Thompson was a team captain in both 2010 and 2011.

Lots of New Faces: Lourdes has eight freshmen among its roster of 16 players for the upcoming season that will be looking to make their collegiate debuts.

Mass to Become School's First Four-Year Player: Senior Ali Mass will become Lourdes first student-athlete in any sport to compete in four seasons when she makes her first appearance of the season.  She has appeared in 85 matches and 252 total sets throughout her career at Lourdes.

This and That: Katie McKenty needs 24 kills for 400 in her career ... Andrea Brown needs six blocks for 100 in her career ... Lourdes will face two opponents ranked in the top-15 in the NAIA preseason poll this year.