Lourdes seized outright possession of first place in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference on Saturday afternoon, notching a 25-20, 28-26, 25-12 victory over 15^th-ranked Madonna at Tam-o-Shanter.
 
The victory was the first home win against a NAIA top-25 opponent ever for the Gray Wolves, and just the fourth overall in program history.  As a result, Lourdes improves to 16-0 overall and 11-0 in the league as the first half of WHAC play comes to a close.  They remain one of just six undefeated teams remaining in the NAIA.
 
"This was a huge win for us, for our season, and for our program," head coach Greg Reitz said afterwards.  "Any time you can beat a ranked opponent it is significant, and we showed we could step up to their level.  I'm proud of how we played and excited for the second half of the season."
 
Lourdes fell behind 9-5 early in the opening set before a 13-4 spurt shifted the momentum and put the Gray Wolves on top 18-13, a lead they would not relinquish.  Stephanie Richards (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg H.S.) put down five kills in the first stanza while Michi Jimenez (Vega Baja, P.R./Juan Quirindongo Morrell H.S.) kept numerous rallies alive with eight digs.
 
In the second set Lourdes raced out to an 18-10 lead only to see the Crusaders battle back.  Madonna went on a 14-5 run to give the visitors a set point, but Lourdes took advantage of a kill from Ave Stout (Huntertown, Ind./Bishop Luers H.S.) and a ball handling error to retake the lead.  The Gray Wolves needed three set points before a Crusader error gave Lourdes a 2-0 lead in the match. 
 
The third set was all Gray Wolves, as Lourdes notched six service aces and hit .462 as a team.  Leading 6-5, Lourdes scored eight straight points on Richards' serve to build a nine-point lead and never looked back.  Richards capped the match with an ace, her third of the day.
 
Richards led Lourdes with 11 kills while Molly Shonk (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley H.S.) and Stephanie Ruffing (Columbus, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty H.S.) each added 10 kills.  Shonk had a double-double with 21 digs defensively as well.
 
Stout hit .381 with eight kills while Stef Comte (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame H.S.) added five kills and hit .444 as both middles had solid days.  Meghan Birr (Muskegon, Mich./Mona Shores H.S.) handed out 40 assists.
 
Defensively, Jimenez finished with a match-high 21 digs while Ruffing and Comte were in on three of the team's four blocks.
 
As a team Lourdes hit .281 and outdug the Crusaders 58-50 for the match.
 
Nicole Oestrike and Karlie Kelly led Madonna (19-4, 10-1 WHAC) with 10 kills each while Breanna Geile tallied a team-high 20 digs.
 
Lourdes (16-0, 11-0) will remain home on Wednesday evening, beginning the second half of league play hosting Marygrove.  First serve is set for 7 p.m. at Tam-o-Shanter.