Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: Having won eight of its last nine matches, Lourdes wraps up its six-match homestand on Wednesday facing NCAA Division I foe Fort Wayne.  The Gray Wolves will then take to the road for four straight contests, including a battle at Siena Heights on Friday night and a match at third-ranked Missouri Baptist on Monday afternoon.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his sixth season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 104-46 (.693) 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 while earning Mideast Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2016.  Reitz is the only head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Fort Wayne leads the all-time series against Lourdes 2-1 dating back to Jan. 25, 2013.  The Gray Wolves picked up their first victory in the series last year, defeating the Mastodons in straight sets in Fort Wayne, Ind.  All three previous meetings have been played in Fort Wayne.  Lourdes leads the all-time series with Siena Heights 17-0 dating back to Feb. 14, 2012.  The Gray Wolves won the first meeting this season in four sets on Feb. 1 at the Ebeid Rec Center and are also 7-0 against the Saints in Adrian, Mich.  Missouri Baptist is 5-0 all-time against Lourdes dating back to March 2, 2013.  The Spartans won the first meeting this year on Feb. 3 in five sets at the Grand View Moulten Invitational.
 
Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes needed just 56 minutes on Friday evening to defeat Cardinal Stritch in straight sets 25-19, 25-22, 25-21 at the Ebeid Rec Center.  Ryan Maune hit .450 while Ryan Ferkel handed out 46 assists for the Gray Wolves.  Lourdes hit .374 as a team in the win while holding the Wolves to just a .179 clip.

Scouting Fort Wayne: The Mastodons have dropped six of their last seven matches overall after falling in five sets at Lindenwood on Saturday.  Fort Wayne is playing its fifth of nine straight road matches at Lourdes on Wednesday.  Pelegrin Vargas leads the Mastodons with 226 kills this season while Michael Keegan has handed out 641 assists and has a team-high 112 digs.  Colton Stone holds the team-lead with 19 service aces while Graydon Schroeder has recorded 59 blocks, most on the squad.  As a team Fort Wayne is hitting .218 while averaging 11.56 kills per set and 8.24 digs per set.

Scouting Siena Heights: The Saints are coming off of a straight sets victory against Calumet on Feb. 17 and will host Lawrence Tech on Wednesday before entertaining Lourdes.  Matthew Dugan leads the Saints with 132 kills and is hitting .268 while Keegan Crawford has handed out 389 assists.  Emilier DeJesus has recorded 21 service aces while also recording a team-high 139 digs.  Julian Ayers leads Siena Heights with 41 blocks.

Scouting Missouri Baptist:  The Spartans have won seven straight matches entering the week after sweeping Robert Morris (Ill.) last Monday (Feb. 20).  Missouri Baptist hosts Park and visits Culver-Stockton before Lourdes visits.  Mico Janicijevic leads the Spartans with 172 kills and is hitting .273 while Kyle Foley has handed out 499 assists.  Foley also leads Missouri Baptist with 30 service aces.  Robert Hall has registered a team-high 134 digs while Cameron Hibbler leads the squad with 59 blocks.

Making History: When Fort Wayne visits Lourdes on Wednesday evening, it will mark the first time a NCAA Division I program visits Lourdes for a regular season contest.  The Gray Wolves have previously faced the Mastodons in men's volleyball on the road and the women's basketball team has played at Detroit, but none have occurred in Sylvania.

Leading the Offense: Ryan Ferkel handed out 46 assists in the straight sets win over Cardinal Stritch last Friday, the highest total for a Gray Wolf in a three-set match this season.  He also guided the Lourdes offense to a .374 hitting percentage and 50 kills in the three sets.

Swinging With Authority: Ryan Maune has hit .400 or higher in 11 of the Gray Wolves' 15 matches this season. His .444 hitting percentage overall ranks third among all NAIA players. Maune leads Lourdes with 164 kills on the year (2.98/set).

More Ranked Opponents Ahead: Lourdes has already faced seven NAIA top-10 opponents this season, posting a 3-4 record against ranked foes.  The Gray Wolves will face third-ranked Missouri Baptist on Monday, the first of three straight top-10 teams Lourdes will play on the road trip.

Shifting Conferences: NAIA has reshuffled its conferences yet again heading into 2017. The Gray Wolves will play a double round-robin slate against Lawrence Tech, and Siena Heights as part of a divided independent group.  The top two teams from the three Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference schools will advance to the conference tournament against the top two teams among Benedictine at Mesa, Hope International, and UC Merced, which comprise the other half of the independent group.  The west coast will host this year's postseason event.

This and That: CJ Rilveria just passed the 850-dig mark for his career, entering the week with 859 in his four seasons at Lourdes ... Ryan Ferkel is nearing 1,800-career assists, entering the week with 1,779 in his career ... Ryan Maune, Colby Magorien, and Rilveria are the only Gray Wolves to appear in all 55 sets this season.