Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Lourdes University opened its fifth season of intercollegiate women's volleyball on Friday, suffering a pair of defeats at the Aces in August Classic held at Newt Oliver Arena in Rio Grande, Ohio.
 
The Gray Wolves fell 25-27, 20-25, 25-14, 25-15, 15-9 in the opener against Union (Ky.) before dropping a 25-14, 21-25, 25-11, 25-19 decision to Taylor to wrap up the evening.
 
Lourdes began the day against Union, suffering its first season-opening loss in program history.  The Bulldogs held the Gray Wolves to negative hitting percentages over the final three sets in rallying for the victory.
 
"The opener was a tough loss for us," head coach Greg Reitz stated afterwards.  "We started out strong going up 2-0 but didn't maintain the level of execution throughout the match that we needed to win."
 
The Gray Wolves started strong in the opening two sets in forging a 2-0 lead in the match.  In the opening set Lourdes raced out to a 6-1 lead and maintained a six-point lead 14-8 before Union battled back.  Lourdes still led 20-16 when the Bulldogs scored four straight points to tie the set.  Union eventually took a 24-22 lead before the Gray Wolves scored five of the next six points to earn the win.
 
Set two was tied at and Lourdes led by just one, 19-18 before seizing control.    The Gray Wolves scored six of the final eight points to earn the win.  Lourdes held the Bulldogs to just .040 hitting in the second set, the second straight set that Union was held below .050 hitting.
 
Union never trailed in the third set while extending the match.  An early 9-2 run put the Bulldogs on top 16-6.  After four straight Lourdes points, Union scored the next six to put the set out of reach.  The fourth set was close until a 6-0 Bulldog run gave them an 18-10 advantage.  The Gray Wolves managed just five points down the stretch, setting up the decisive fifth set.
 
"We had too many unforced errors," Reitz said.  They took the got from us in set three and we never took it back."
 
Lourdes took an early two-point lead in the final set, and still led 6-5 when Union tallied three straight points.  The Gray Wolves tied the set at eight only see the Bulldogs score seven of the final eight points.
 
Keyonna Gregory (Holland, Ohio/Springfield H.S.) led Lourdes with 13 kills and four blocks in the opener while Stef Comte (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame H.S.) added eight kills while hitting .400.  As a team the Gray Wolves hit just .024 for the match however.  Lexie Curtis (Toledo, Ohio/Bedford H.S.) handed out 39 assists.  
 
Michi Jimenez (Vega Baja, P.R./Juan Quirindongo Morell H.S.) led Lourdes with 16 digs while Carolyn Manley (Holland, Ohio/Springfield H.S.), making her Gray Wolf debut, added 15 digs and four service aces. 
 
Marissa Elam led Union (2-0) with 10 kills while Ana Calaza added a team-high 17 digs.
 
The Gray Wolves fell behind quickly in the opening set against Taylor as a 7-1 run by the Trojans pushed the lead to 16-6.  Taylor hit .400 in the opening stanza to take the early lead in the match.
 
Taylor led by four in set two before Mallory Lenhart (Lambertville, Mich./Bedford H.S.) served up 13 straight points to give Lourdes a 21-12 advantage.  The Gray Wolves held off a late Taylor run to even the match at two.
 
The Trojans used a 16-6 run in the third set to gain control, building a 22-9 lead before Lourdes hung close in the fourth set.  The Gray Wolves led 12-11 before a late 9-3 run put Taylor on top for good.  Lourdes was held to .020 hitting in the third and .050 in the fourth offensively.
 
Angie Pagan-Perez (Toa Baja, P.R./Bayamon Military Academy) led Lourdes with nine kills while Comte hit .375 with eight kills.  Lenhart handed out 23 assists while finishing second on the team with 15 digs.  Jimenez had 17 digs to pace the defense.
 
"We played some quality teams today which made for some tough opening matches," Reitz concluded.  "I thought we battled and had the opportunity to see some different things on the court."
 
Becca Gerig led Taylor (3-0) with 16 kills and 17 digs while Rachel Bourna added 10 kills while hitting .643.
 
Lourdes (0-2) will close out play in the Aces in August Classic on Saturday, facing host Rio Grande at 11 a.m. before battling Cumberlands (Ky.) at 3 p.m.