Eighth-ranked Lourdes opened play at the Stritch Wolves Invitational on Friday, defeating Hannibal-LaGrange 25-14, 25-11, 25-22 and seventh-ranked Clarke 28-26, 25-12, 28-26 at the CSU Fieldhouse in Milwaukee, Wis.
 
The two sweeps extend Lourdes' winning streak to five straight matches and 15 consecutive set victories.
 
In the opener against Hannibal-LaGrange (5-13), Lourdes hit .306, led by Ryan Maune's (Washington, Mo./Saint Francis Borgia H.S.) .667 hitting percentage with a team-high 11 kills.
 
"We started off a little slow then found our rhythm," head coach Greg Reitz said.  "We played strong defense which allowed us to control the momentum.  The third set was a little shaky, but we were able to battle back and get the win."
 
Lourdes scored eight straight points while Garrett Jones (Las Vegas, Nev./Las Vegas H.S.) was serving to take an 11-4 lead in the opening set and never looked back.  A 10-1 run in set two allowed the Gray Wolves to build a 14-5 advantage, but Lourdes had to rally in the third.  The Gray Wolves trailed 8-1 before Lourdes fought back to take a 13-12 lead.  The set went back and forth with eights ties and three lead changes, and was still knotted at 22 before Lourdes scored the final three points.
 
Jones hit .412 while Ryan Ferkel (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly H.S.) recorded a double-double with 28 assists and 13 digs.  Brendan Brown (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny H.S.) and Zachary Hawkins (Dickinson, Texas/Dickinson H.S.) each were involved in five blocks as Lourdes outblocked the Trojans 12-1.
 
Joao Sales Neto led Hannibal-LaGrange with 11 kills.
 
In the match against Clarke, the Gray Wolves avenged one of their three losses this season from their own invitational in January.
 
"We passed really well which allowed us to really distribute the ball," Reitz added.
 
Ferkel handed out 47 assists in the three sets with Maune hitting .429 with a match-high 13 kills.  Eric Ubior (Guaynabo, P.R./Wesleyan Academy) had 10 kills and 10 digs while CJ Rilveria (Kula, Hawaii/Kekaulike H.S.) had a match-high 12 digs.
 
Set one had 18 ties and six lead changes before the Gray Wolves pulled out the win.  Lourdes hit .375 in set two while holding Clarke to just six kills while cruising to the victory.  Lourdes had to withstand 11 more ties and five lead changes in the third set, and rally from a 15-11 deficit to earn the win.
 
The Gray Wolves hit .283 for the match and outdug the Crusaders 42-31.
 
Isaiah Acfalle led Clarke (17-8) with 11 kills and seven digs.
 
Lourdes (18-3) will close out play at the Stritch Wolves Invitational on Saturday.  The Gray Wolves face Morningside at 1:30 p.m. EDT before battling host Cardinal Stritch at 3:30 p.m. EDT.