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Hosting a NCAA Division I opponent for the first time in school history in any sport, Lourdes registered a victory over Fort Wayne for the second straight season, defeating the Mastodons 25-18, 25-21, 20-25, 29-27 on Wednesday evening inside of the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.
 
Last year the Gray Wolves recorded a straight sets win over the Mastodons in Fort Wayne, Ind., the first program's first win against a NCAA Division I foe.
 
"This was huge to get a win against a Division I team," head coach Greg Reitz said afterwards.  "We knew that they'd be ready to play and we stepped up to the challenge.  We scrapped on defense, extended rallies well, and ran down some balls to extend points.  I thought we blocked really well against an attack that was much faster than we have been used to."
 
Lourdes, ranked sixth in NAIA, raced out to a quick lead, taking advantage of Fort Wayne errors.  The Gray Wolves hit .346 in the opening set with just two miscues while limiting the Mastodons to a -.083 hitting mark, with 13 errors, including five Lourdes blocks.  With the set tied at seven, Lourdes went on a 6-1 run to forge in front, and never trailed the rest of the set.
 
The Gray Wolf offense was even better in the second, as Lourdes put down 14 kills while committing just one error to hit .542.  After seven ties and a pair of lead changes, the Gray Wolves took the lead 16-14 with three straight points, and made the advantage hold the remainder of the set.
 
"We played really well to start," Reitz added.  "We play well at home and felt comfortable in our environment, which led to the good start."
 
In the third, Fort Wayne battled back.  The Mastodons built an early 11-6 lead before Lourdes used the serve of Brendan Brown (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny H.S.) to key an 8-0 run, putting the Gray Wolves in front 16-12.  Fort Wayne answered with six straight points of its own to regain the lead, and extend the match with the third set win.
 
The fourth set saw 11 total ties, with neither side leading by more than three the entire stanza.  Lourdes led 19-16 only to see the Mastodons score five of the next six points to regain the advantage.  The Gray Wolves fought off three set points from Fort Wayne before taking the lead, and eventually closing the match.
 
"It came down to some scramble players which gave us a chance to win the fourth set," Reitz added.
 
Zachary Hawkins (Dickinson, Texas/Dickinson H.S.) posted a double-double to lead Lourdes with 19 kills and 10 digs while hitting .325.
 
"Hawkins played really well," Reitz concluded.  "He hit efficiently and played some solid defense for us."
 
Ryan Ferkel (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly H.S.) also had a double-double with 43 assists and 11 digs, leading the Gray Wolves to a .250 hitting percentage for the match.  Ryan Maune (Washington, Mo./Saint Francis Borgia H.S.) added 11 kills and hit .429 while Brown tallied nine kills.
 
Defensively, Maune and Brown were each involved in five blocks as Lourdes outblocked the Mastodons 10-8 for the match.
 
Colton Stone led Fort Wayne (5-15) with 24 kills and 16 digs while Graydon Schroeder added 10 kills.
 
Lourdes (12-4), winners of nine of its last 10 matches overall, will begin a four-match road trip on Friday evening as the Gray Wolves head north to Adrian, Mich. to battle Siena Heights.  The opening serve is set for 7 p.m. at the SHU Fieldhouse.