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Lourdes opened its 2015 season on Friday afternoon, tallying a pair of wins at the RMU Eagles Invitational hosted by Robert Morris (Ill.) at the RMU Athletic and Convocation Center in Arlington Heights, Ill.  The Gray Wolves scored a 25-11, 25-10, 25-7 victory in opener against Governors State before sweeping the host Eagles 25-15, 25-17, 25-13 in the second match.
 
Against Governors State, which was playing its first match in program history, Lexie Curtis (Toledo, Ohio/Bedford H.S.) equaled the school's single match record with eight service aces, moving her into second place all-time at Lourdes with 70 for her career.  As a team, the Gray Wolves recorded 19 aces, second most in program history, while hitting .407 as a team, a mark that also was second best in school laurels.
 
"It was a solid way to open the season," head coach Greg Reitz said after the match.  "We're happy to get the win and got some strong performances overall.  We served extremely tough and hit well which is a good combination."
 
Lourdes surrendered the first point of the match before taking control.  Five straight Gray Wolf points put the team in front for good.  Curtis registered four service aces during a 7-0 run which increased the lead to 13-3.  Another 6-1 spurt by the Gray Wolves increased the lead to 21-9 on the way to the win.  Lourdes hit .529 with just two errors in set one while holding the Jaguars to a -.231 attack rate.
 
Richards' serve spearheaded a 5-0 run to open the second set as the Gray Wolves eventually opened up a 14-4 lead.  Carolyn Manley (Holland, Ohio/Springfield H.S.) served up three aces of her own in a four-point stretch to help increase the lead to 22-8 as Lourdes took a stranglehold on the match. 
 
Manley's service in the third set keyed a 6-0 run which put Lourdes in front 10-2.  With a 14-5 lead, Michi Jimenez (Vega Baja, P.R./Juan Quirindongo Morell H.S.) and Meghan Birr (Muskegon, Mich./Mona Shores H.S.) combined to serve up a 10-1 run leading to match point.
 
With the victory, Lourdes improved to 5-1 all-time in season openers.  Richards and Stef Comte (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame H.S.) led the way with eight kills each while Stephanie Ruffing (Columbus, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty H.S.), making her Gray Wolf debut, hit .462 with seven kills. Freshman Cheyanne Little (Whittier, Calif./Saint Paul H.S.) hit .714 on seven swings without committing an error.  Birr handed out a team-high 18 assists.
 
Manley added six aces while Jimenez recorded a team-high nine digs defensively. 
 
Corina Williams led Governors State (0-1) with three kills as the Jaguars hit -.183 for the contest.
 
In the late afternoon match against Robert Morris, the Lourdes held the Eagles to just .022 hitting while posting a .275 hitting performance of its own.  Richards tallied a team-high 11 kills while Jimenez recorded 17 digs in the three set triumph.
 
"We had a strong team performance against Robert Morris to earn another good win," Reitz commented.  "We seemed very comfortable on the court.  We were sound both in serve receive and defensively."
 
The Gray Wolves never trailed in the opening set against the Eagles.  Five straight points from Richards serve put Lourdes on top 7-2.  Robert Morris closed to within two, before the Gray Wolves extended the lead to 14-7.  Jimenez's serve led to five straight Lourdes points late in the stanza, opening up a 22-13 advantage on the way to the first set victory.
 
In the second, Lourdes hit .424 with just three errors opposite of 17 kills, including seven spikes from Richards.  Leading just 10-7, an 11-4 run allowed the Gray Wolves to gradually pull away.
 
Lourdes trailed 3-1 early in the third set before scoring 15 of the next 19 points to take control.  Jimenez registered seven digs in a set for the second time in the match and the Gray Wolves against limited the Eagles to a negative hitting percentage, as Robert Morris swung at a -.037 rate. 
 
Ruffing tallied nine kills while Ave Stout (Huntertown, Ind./Bishop Luers H.S.) posted a team-best .385 hitting percentage with six kills.  Birr handed out 30 assists while Ruffing and Comte each registered three blocks.
 
Katie Rotkovich led Robert Morris (0-1) with seven kills while Alyssa Harkema and Mart Tabaka recorded nine digs each.
 
Lourdes (2-0) will close out action at the RMU Eagles Invitational on Saturday with matches against Saint Xavier at 12 p.m. EDT and Cardinal Stritch at 4 p.m. EDT.