In front of a loud, standing room only crowd at Tam-o-Shanter, Lourdes improved to 8-0 overall with a 25-21, 25-12, 22-25, 25-17 victory over Siena Heights on Friday evening.  With the win, the Gray Wolves remained tied with Madonna atop the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference as the lone 3-0 teams.
 
"It was absolutely amazing to have this many fans in such a small space," head coach Greg Reitz said after the win.  "The level of play rose because of the environment.  I think our ladies fed off of the noise."
 
Lourdes hit .279 for the match, led by double-doubles from Stephanie Richards (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg H.S.) and Molly Shonk (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley H.S.).  Richards tallied 14 kills while hitting .300 and added 20 digs while Shonk posted 11 kills, hit .290, and recorded 16 digs.
 
After surrendering the first point of the match, Lourdes took advantage of five straight attack errors by the Saints, three via Gray Wolf blocks, to build a 6-1 lead and never looked back in the opening set.  Siena Heights was able to pull within three points late in the stanza before a Richards' kill closed the stanza.
 
In the second set, Lourdes hit .500 with 15 kills on 30 swings, and did not commit an error in cruising to the win.  Leading 6-5, Lourdes scored 11 of the next 14 points in taking control of the match.
 
Siena Heights (5-2, 2-1 WHAC) stayed alive in the third, hitting .256 while taking advantage of several Lourdes miscues.  The Gray Wolves led 11-8 before a 7-1 Saints run allowed the visitors to take the lead for good in the set.
 
The fourth, and final, set remained tight most of the way.  Lourdes took the lead for good after three straight points when the stanza was tied at 14, and used the service of Shannon Fischer (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame H.S.), who was making her collegiate debut, late in the set to spearhead a 6-0 run to close out the match.
 
"When we struggled in the third set we didn't serve and pass as well as we have been," Reitz added.  "We did a good job of settling down though and earning a big conference win at home."
 
Stephanie Ruffing (Columbus, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty H.S.) led all players with 15 kills in the match while Meghan Birr (Muskegon, Mich./Mona Shores H.S.) handed out 45 assists.  Michi Jimenez (Vega Baja, P.R./Juan Quirindongo Morell H.S.) registered 17 digs.
 
"Michi was ridiculous for us at times tonight," Reitz added.  "She got some key digs at the right times to allow us to remain in points we eventually won."
 
Leze Vukaj led Siena Heights with 12 kills while Carly Tillotson tallied 13 digs and handed out 33 assists.
 
Lourdes will put its unbeaten mark on the line Saturday afternoon as the Gray Wolves travel to Grand Rapids, Mich. to face Aquinas.  First serve is set for 1 p.m. at the Sturrus Sports and Fitness Center.