Complete PDF Notes

Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: Lourdes returns home on Friday evening for the final time until late March as the Gray Wolves entertain Siena Heights in a non-conference match at Tam-o-Shanter.  For the first time in 2014 the Gray Wolves will enter the contest as a nationally-ranked team, sitting at #10 in the latest NAIA Men's Volleyball poll.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his third season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 40-24 (.625) 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 7-0 all-time against Siena Heights after defeating the Saints 3-0 at Tam-o-Shanter on Jan. 29 in a Great Lakes Conference match.  The two schools will meet one more time this year, on March 19, in Adrian, Mich. for the other league match on the slate.  The Gray Wolves hold a 4-0 record all-time against Siena Heights at Tam-o-Shanter, three of the victories coming via sweeps.

Earlier This Season: Lourdes hit .345 on the evening and held Siena Heights to a -.058 hitting night on Jan. 29 as the Gray Wolves swept the Saints 25-8, 25-13, 25-18 at Tam-o-Shanter.  Frank Craig hit .538 with eight kills and three blocks while Jo'Lon Clark and Garrett Jones each added seven kills for Lourdes.  Gilius Blinstrubas led Siena Heights with eight kills in the loss.

Wrapping Up Last Week: The Gray Wolves swept #10 Cardinal Stritch on Feb. 14 in the first match of the Stritch Wolves Invitational to move into a tie with the Wolves for first place in the Great Lakes Conference.  Frank Craig registered 15 kills while Jo'Lon Clark added 13 kills and seven digs.  Lourdes then fell in four sets later that night to #9 Missouri Valley despite hitting .270 as a team.  Clark had 25 kills while Garrett Jones added 15 kills and Ryan Ferkel handed out 54 assists.  On Feb. 15, Lourdes fell in straight sets to #7 Clarke.  Craig tallied 15 kills and hit .440 while Jones added 11 kills.  The Gray Wolves concluded the Stritch Wolves Invitational with a five-set victory over Robert Morris (Ill.).  Clark had 20 kills and Craig added 13 more in the win while Brad Miller tallied 16 digs.

Scouting Siena Heights: The Saints have dropped four straight matches, all coming at the Emmanuel (Ga.) tournament last weekend.  Siena Heights was swept by Warner, Emmanuel and King before losing in four sets to Warner.  Gilius Blinstrubas leads the Saints with 138 kills (3.37/set) while adding 21 service aces.  Luke Sagaert is hitting a team-leading .226 offensively while Zak Krug has handed out a team-high 170 assists.  Defensively, Allanderson Meira has a team-best 105 digs (2.56/set) while Lance Blough has recorded 34 blocks.  The Saints are in the midst of a 13-match road trip.
 
Earning a National Ranking: The Gray Wolves moved into the top-10 of the NAIA Men's Volleyball national poll on Feb. 17th, being slotted at #10, and remain ranked #10 in this week's poll.  The ranking is the first for Lourdes since the Gray Wolves finished the 2012 season ranked 10th nationally.

Clark Named National Player of the Week: Jo'Lon Clark was named the NAIA Men's Volleyball Player of the Week on Feb. 17 after leading the Gray Wolves to a 2-2 record at the Stritch Wolves Invitational.  The junior outside hitter averaged 4.47 kills per set, amassing 67 total kills in the four matches.  He hit .301 while adding 10 service aces.  He also registered 27 digs (1.8/set) and six blocks.  He joins CJ Rilveria and Brad Miller in earning national honors this season, as both were previously named NAIA Libero of the Week.

A Tie at the Top: Lourdes moved into a first place tie with Cardinal Stritch in the Great Lakes Conference standings after sweeping the Wolves on Feb. 14.  The Gray Wolves had lost to Cardinal Stritch at home in five sets earlier this year.  Both schools have a two-game lead in the GLC standings with four conference tilts left to play.  The Great Lakes Conference tournament will be held March 28-29 at Owens Community College, and will be hosted by Lourdes.

Best Start in Program History: Lourdes 9-3 record through 12 matches is its best start in the three years in which the men's volleyball program has been a varsity sport at the school.  The Gray Wolves were 5-7 in 2012 and 7-5 in 2013 through 12 contests, so even without the forfeit victory over Missouri Valley earlier this year Lourdes would still be setting records.

Hitting the Road Soon: Friday's match is the final home match for Lourdes at Tam-o-Shanter this season, as the Gray Wolves will play their finale on March 21 at Owens Community College.  Before that though, Lourdes will take to the road for their annual spring trip, a six-match road trip through the Midwest.

Playing Defense: Brad Miller ranks second in the nation averaging 3.18 digs per set this year for the Gray Wolves.  He has helped Lourdes defense overall, as the Gray Wolves also rank second as a team, tallying 11.34 digs per set.  

Serving Up Aces: Lourdes has averaged 2.09 aces per set this season, the second best mark in the country.  Lourdes has recorded 92 total aces, more than double the opponents total of just 40.  Jo'Lon Clark ranks fourth in the country tallying 0.55 per set, and has 23 total on the year.  Lourdes two losses last weekend, to Missouri Valley and Clarke, marked the first time all season the Gray Wolves had been out-aced in a match.

Captains Named: Lourdes has announced tri-captains for the 2014 season.  Serving in that role are juniors Frank Craig, Brad Miller, and Jo'Lon Clark.

This and That: The loss to Missouri Valley marked the only time Lourdes has been out-dug in a match this year ... the match against the Vikings also marks the lone time the Gray Wolves have won the opening set and lost the match ... Brad Miller and Garrett Jones are the only Gray Wolves to appear in every set this season.