Lourdes will head to the NAIA National Volleyball Championships a perfect 31-0 after defeating 23^rd-ranked Madonna for the third time this season, 25-23, 25-22, 25-15 on Saturday evening in the championship match of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament at Tam-o-Shanter.
 
The 18^th-ranked Gray Wolves have dropped just 11 sets all season and roll into the national tournament having registered seven sweeps in a row.
 
"This was an incredible win not only for the team this season, but for our program," head coach Greg Reitz said after the championship.  "It is very tough to beat a high quality team like Madonna three times in one season.  It takes a special effort and these young ladies did it."
 
Lourdes is the lone undefeated team remaining in NAIA or NCAA volleyball, and will be making the school's second appearance in the national tournament in just the program's sixth season.
 
"We wanted it to happen, but our focus all season was one set at a time," Reitz added.  "Thirty-one wins is a lot of wins for a season, let alone in a row."
 
On Saturday night the Gray Wolves had to battle from behind in each of the first two sets.  Madonna (33-6) took the lead at 6-5 in the opening stanza and led by as many as four before Lourdes battled back late.  Four straight points tied the set at 19.  With the set still tied at 23, Molly Shonk (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley H.S.) registered a kill, and following a Crusader timeout, Stephanie Richards (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg H.S.) combined with Ave Stout (Huntertown, Ind./Bishop Luers H.S.) on a block to give Lourdes the opening set.
 
The second stanza played out very similar to the first.  The Crusaders took the lead from the opening two points of the set and led by as many as five, 17-12, before the Gray Wolves began their comeback.  Back-to-back kills by Shonk and Richards pulled Lourdes even at 19.  The Gray Wolves took their first lead in the set 21-20 following a kill by WHAC Player of the Year Stephanie Ruffing (Columbus, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty H.S.) and Lourdes never trailed the rest of the match.  Ruffing closed the set with another kill, pulling the Gray Wolves within one set of the title.
 
Lourdes began quickly in the third set, scoring five of the first six points, and never allowed the Crusaders to pull even the rest of the way.  The Gray Wolves' defense limited Madonna to -.026 hitting in the set, committing 10 attacker errors, four via block.  Leading 18-14, Lourdes scored five straight points, four off of the service of Richards, including an ace, putting the Gray Wolves on the brink of the championship.  A kill by Ruffing, followed by a block from Stef Comte (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame H.S.) and Meghan Birr (Muskegon, Mich./Mona Shores H.S.) set off the celebration on the court.  The rejection was the 13^th of the match by Lourdes, setting a new school single-match record in a three-set match.
 
"Our defense was incredible tonight," Reitz added.  "This was the best we've blocked all season and our backrow defense was just as strong."
 
Lourdes limited Madonna to just .093 hitting on the night, and outdug the Crusaders 50-43.
 
Ruffing led Lourdes with 10 kills in the match while Shonk added nine and Richards tallied eight on .389 hitting.  As a team the Gray Wolves swung at a .282 clip on the night.  Birr handed out 36 assists in the victory.
 
Defensively, Michi Jimenez (Vega Baja, P.R./Juan Quirindongo Morell H.S.) tallied a match-high 22 digs while Stout and Comte were each involved in five blocks for the Gray Wolves.
 
"Like we've had all year, we had players step up and make plays," Reitz concluded.
 
Karlie Kelly led Madonna with nine kills while Breanna Geile had 14 digs defensively.
 
Lourdes will learn its postseason plans on Monday morning as the NAIA announces the postseason pairings for the national tournament.  The selection show can be seen live through www.naia.org beginning at 11 a.m.