Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: Lourdes steps out of Mideast Conference play this weekend, concluding a three-match road trip former league foes.  On Friday night, the Gray Wolves face Saint Xavier before traveling to Calumet for a Saturday afternoon affair.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his fifth season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 73-38 (.658) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  He was named to the MAMVIC East Coach of the Year in 2012 and the Great Lakes Conference Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2015.  Reitz is the only head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Lourdes is 11-0 all-time against Saint Xavier in a series that dates back to Jan. 20, 2012.  The Gray Wolves won three meetings against the Cougars last season, including a sweep in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Conference tournament.  Lourdes holds a 6-0 advantage in matches played in Chicago.  Lourdes is 2-0 all-time against Calumet in a series that began on Feb. 3, 2015.  The Gray Wolves swept both meetings last season, including the lone meeting in Whiting, Ind.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes hit .433 in the opening set on Wednesday on the way to a .365 hitting performance for the night, and the Gray Wolves swept Cincinnati Christian 25-21, 25-18, 25-17 in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Eric Ubior posted 12 kills while Zachary Hawkins added 10 more.  Ryan Ferkel handed out 39 assists while Garrett Jones added a team-high eight digs.

Scouting Saint Xavier: The Cougars are still looking for their first victory in 2016 after dropping their fourth straight match on Tuesday in straight sets against Robert Morris (Ill.).  Saint Xavier hosts Saint Ambrose on Thursday night before entertaining Lourdes.  Sean Barry leads the Cougars with 34 kills while Moises Lopez has handed out 78 assists.  Brandon McGinnis has notched a team-best 24 digs while Thomas Matonis and Noel Bragagnolo have each recorded eight blocks.  The Cougars are hitting .040 as a team this season.

Scouting Calumet: The Crimson Wave have dropped three straight contests after suffering a 3-0 sweep on Tuesday night against Saint Ambrose.  Jake Olson leads Calumet with 59 kills and 11 aces while Clayton Cox has handed out 157 assists.  Liam Fagan has a team-high 57 digs while Jose Gonzalez has recorded 22 blocks for the Crimson Wave.  As a team Calumet is hitting .089 on the year.

Former League Foes: Both of this week's opponents, Saint Xavier and Calumet, were a part of the Great Lakes Conference with Lourdes last season.  In fact, Saint Xavier has been a league foe of the Gray Wolves since Lourdes' inaugural season of 2012, first in the MAMVIC East, and then the Great Lakes Conference.  Both schools have since joined the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference prior to this year as realignment took place throughout NAIA men's volleyball.

Strong Hitting Efforts: Ryan Maune and Brendan Brown both had strong offensive efforts last Wednesday against Cincinnati Christian.  Maune hit .700 with seven kills on 10 swings while Brown added six kills on seven attempts for an .857 hitting percentage.  Neither player committed an error.

Among the Nation's Leaders: As a team, Lourdes ranks in the top-five statistically in four different categories.  The Gray Wolves are second among all NAIA programs tallying 12.45 digs per set and 13.10 kills per set.  In addition, Lourdes ranks second handing out 12.20 assists per set and is fourth hitting .288 as a team.

Individual Leaders: Ryan Ferkel is fourth among all NAIA men's volleyball players handing out 10.05 assists per set while CJ Rilveria holds down the same ranking after tallying 3.55 digs per stanza.  Ryan Maune is ninth nationally tallying 1.00 blocks per set while Brendan Brown's .459 hitting percentage is also ninth best in the country.

Hitting Well as a Team: Lourdes is swinging at a .288 clip thus far this season, with three hitters swinging at a clip of .325 or higher.  Brendan Brown leads the way at .459 followed by Eric Ubior at .349 and Ryan Maune at .325.  Lourdes has hit over .400 in a set eight times thus far this year in 20 total sets.

Perfect in the Third: Lourdes is undefeated (6-0) in the third set of matches this season.  The Gray Wolves have dropped just four sets total on the year, three of which came in the four-set loss to ninth-ranked Clarke on Jan. 22.

The Mideast Conference: NAIA has reshuffled its conferences yet again heading into 2016. The Gray Wolves will play a double round-robin slate against Cincinnati Christian, Lawrence Tech, and Siena Heights in the quest for a league crown.  NAIA men's volleyball has moved from four conferences to five conferences in 2016.

This and That: Garrett Jones is closing in on 450 career kills, entering the week with 432 over his four years at Lourdes ... Ryan Ferkel needs six assists for 600 in his career ... CJ Rilveria needs 36 more digs to reach 400 for his career ... Rilveria has recorded three kills as a libero this year.